Son set to admit role in death of mother's boyfriend in Anne Arundel

A Millersville man is set to enter a plea in the death of his mother's boyfriend who was stabbed to death and then set on fire two years ago, according to his attorney and court records.

Matthew J. Haarhoff, 20, plans to enter his plea July 17 in Anne Arundel County Circuit Court. He is charged with first-degree murder in the February 2006 death of Anthony S. Fertitta, his mother Cynthia J. McKay's boyfriend. Haarhoff's trial, scheduled to begin Jan. 12, has been cancelled, according to court records.

David P. Putzi, Haarhoff's attorney, declined to discuss details of the plea agreement until it is announced in court.

Fertitta's body was found burning in the Old Mill area of Anne Arundel County in February 2006, according to The (Baltimore) Sun. It was later determined Fertitta had been stabbed to death.

McKay pleaded guilty to second-degree murder charges in April and will be sentenced July 16. McKay, 53, also known as Cynthia Downs, survived the death of a previous husband in a fire and has a criminal record dating to the mid-1980s that includes charges of embezzlement and theft, according to an investigation by The Sun.

McKay entered an Alford plea, meaning she did not admit guilt but acknowledged prosecutors had enough evidence to convict her.

Haarhoff gave conflicting statements to police and allegedly confessed to killing Fertitta, The Sun reported. Prosecutors matched DNA from sweat found on the steering wheel of Fertitta's truck to Haarhoff.

Another of McKay's sons, 21-year-old Christopher J. Haarhoff, was sentenced in January to five years in prison for helping burn Fertitta's body.

Matthew Haarhoff was arrested soon after Fertitta's body was discovered and has been incarcerated since. Putzi, of Fischer & Putzi P.A. in Glen Burnie, said plea negotiations had been ongoing, but added the guilty pleas of McKay and Christopher Haarhoff helped define the terms of his client's deal.

"Based on the state's version of events between the mother and brother, it slots everyone into what their role was," Putzi said.

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