Williams Eugene Rice Jr., 46, and Christina Gail Harnish, 45, both of Tucson, Arizona
UPDATE 5/28/2023: Calling the defendants’ actions senseless, thoughtless and heinous, an Anne Arundel County judge on Friday sentenced a man and woman connected to the disappearance of their former roommate, Megan Tilman to the maximum 40 years in prison, State’s Attorney Anne Colt Leitess announced.
Christina Harnish, also known as Christina Stallings, and William Rice previously entered a plea to second-degree murder in Anne Arundel County Circuit Court in Annapolis.
“Megan was a vulnerable young woman who was killed by two people she trusted who worked their way into her life and took advantage of her financially.” Leitess said. “Her family long awaited answers for this crime, and I hope today’s sentence brings a sense of closure and relief from the nightmare of an unsolved murder of a beloved daughter and mother.”
“I again want to thank all of the agencies involved and the efforts of Assistant State’s Attorney Glen Neubauer. It was not easy building a circumstantial case against the defendants, but we took the challenge head on and now the killers are held accountable.”
In the fall of 2017, Rice and Harnish were roommates of Tilman and her elderly mother and had relied on their financial support. When Tilman stopped providing that support, she disappeared. Family reported that they stopped hearing from Tilman, who regularly spoke with her young daughter on the phone. Her ex-husband reported receiving suspicious text messages and seeing social media posts on her account that were distinctly different from her normal communications.
By that time, Rice and Harnish had fled to Arizona by bus.
In October 2017, shortly after her disappearance, Tilman’s remains were discovered in the bay in Shady Side’s Cedarhurst community. Police linked
both defendants to Tilman’s missing vehicle. Rice was identified as the man seen driving Tilman’s vehicle to multiple ATM machines around the time she went missing. Harnish posted photos of herself to social media as she drove the vehicle to rehome her pet before the pair fled the State. The car was later found abandoned not far from a bus depot.
The pair were arrested in Arizona and extradited to Maryland in early 2022, where they have been held without bond.
The Honorable Cathleen Vitale presided over the case.
UPDATE 1/27/2023: A pair connected with the 2017 disappearance of their former roommate Megan Tilman pleaded guilty to second-degree murder for her killing, State’s Attorney Anne Colt Leitess announced.
Christina Harnish, also known as Christina Stallings, and William Rice entered the plea in Anne Arundel County Circuit Court in Annapolis on Wednesday afternoon. Sentencing for the pair is scheduled for May 26, 2023 and the State is seeking the maximum sentence of 40 years in prison for each.
“Megan offered friendship, her home, and her trust to Mr. Rice and Ms. Harnish, and when the finances ran dry, they did more than violate that trust – they took her life,” Leitess said. “It won’t bring Megan back, but it is my hope that today’s guilty pleas will bring justice to Megan’s family, who have long awaited answers for this heinous crime.
“I am extremely proud of all of the agencies involved in this case and the efforts of Assistant State’s Attorney Neubauer. The Annapolis Police Department and the Anne Arundel County Police Department detectives Aaron Stein and Sgt. Kelly Harding worked on this cold case over the years and collaborated with our office to prepare it for charging and ultimately prosecution. This was no easy task for any of us to build a circumstantial case against the defendants but we agreed to take on the challenge and now two killers have been held accountable.”
The case was prosecuted by Assistant State’s Attorney Glen Neubauer on behalf of the citizens of Anne Arundel County.
In the fall of 2017, Rice and Harnish were roommates of Tilman and her elderly mother and had relied on their financial support. When Tilman stopped providing that support, she disappeared. Family reported that they stopped hearing from Tilman, who regularly spoke with her young daughter on the phone. Her ex-husband reported receiving suspicious text messages and seeing social media posts on her account that were distinctly different from her normal communications.
By that time, Rice and Harnish had fled to Arizona by bus.
In October 2017, shortly after her disappearance, Tilman’s remains were discovered in the bay in Shady Side’s Cedarhurst community. Police linked both to Tilman’s missing vehicle. Rice was identified as the man seen driving Tilman’s vehicle to multiple ATM machines around the time she went missing. Harnish posted photos of herself to social media as she drove the vehicle to rehome her pet before the pair fled the State. The car was later found abandoned not far from a bus depot.
The pair were arrested in Arizona and extradited to Maryland in early 2022, where they have been held without bond.
The Honorable Cathleen Vitale presided over the case.
UPDATE 1/27/2022: On Wednesday, October 18, 2017, at approximately 1:30 p.m., Officers from the Anne Arundel County Police Department responded to the area of Holly and Chesapeake Drive in Shady Side, Maryland for possible recovered human remains. The scene was secured and Homicide Detectives were summoned.
An extensive search of the shoreline by numerous patrol officers, detectives, and members of the Department of Natural Resources was conducted. As a result of the search, additional human skeletal remains were recovered.
All recovered remains were transported to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for a post mortem examination. Assessment by the OCME revealed the decedent was a Caucasian, Hispanic or Asian female, approximately mid-twenties to thirty years of age with a height of 5’03”-5’5”. Based on the examination the OCME ruled the death a homicide.
For the past several years Anne Arundel County Police Homicide Investigators have followed up on many leads, examined various pieces of evidence, and traveled the country to interview possible witnesses and persons of interest.
On January 19, 2022, Homicide Detectives, with the aid of the Anne Arundel County State’s Attorney’s Office, were able to secure arrest warrants for Christina Gail Harnish, 45, and Williams Eugene Rice Jr., 46, both of Tucson, Arizona, believed to be responsible for the murder of Megan Tilman.
On January 26, 2022, with the aid of the Pima County Sheriff’s Department in Arizona, both subjects were located and arrested. The suspects are awaiting extradition back to Maryland.
The outcome of this investigation would not have been possible if not for the tenacity of the Anne Arundel County Homicide Unit, the guidance from the Anne Arundel County State’s Attorney’s Office, assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the cooperation and assistance of the Pima County Sherriff’s Department.
Although arrests have been made this is still a very active homicide investigation. The Anne Arundel County Police are urging anyone with information to come forward by calling the Anne Arundel County Homicide Unit at 410-222-4731. Individuals wishing to remain anonymous are asked to call the Anne Arundel County Police Tip Line at 410-222-4700 or Metro Crime Stoppers at 1-866-7LOCKUP.
Williams Eugene Rice Jr., 46, and Christina Gail Harnish, 45, both of Tucson, Arizona
