Millington Man Sentenced to 35 Years in Prison for Murdering His Stepfather

Queen Anne's County, MD - A Millington man will spend the next 35 years behind bars after pleading guilty to the murder of his stepfather in a case that shook the small Queen Anne's County community.

Brian Joseph Sykes, of Millington, Maryland, entered a guilty plea on April 7, 2026, to Second Degree Murder and Motor Vehicle Theft. On April 23, 2026, he was sentenced to 40 years for the murder charge and a consecutive 5 years for the auto theft, with 10 years suspended.

Upon his release, Sykes will serve five years of supervised probation.

The case traces back to October 11, 2024, when a family friend made a horrifying discovery.
An individual called 911 after he found David Howard Teat lying in a puddle of blood inside his home on Pfalzgroff Road in Millington, Maryland. Deputies from the Queen Anne's County Sheriff's Department responded and found Teat deceased with a large knife impaled through his neck.

The individual told police that he and Teat had been texting throughout the day about Teat meeting up with Sykes, who was Teat's stepson and a tenant at the same address. The individual said he was worried because Teat had been trying to evict Sykes from the property due to failure to pay rent and drug use.

Investigators also learned that Sykes had been angry with Teat for two other reasons. Sykes blamed Teat for a delay in being told about the recent death of his mother, who was Teat's wife, in a nursing home. Sykes also blamed Teat for contacting Animal Control to seize his pet cats.

When deputies arrived at the scene, Teat's vehicle and an attached trailer were missing. Sykes's own vehicle had been left behind in the driveway. Law enforcement placed a lookout for the missing vehicle in a nationwide database.

A search warrant was executed at the residence and several items were seized, including blue jeans with what appeared to be blood stains on the legs and a bowl in the kitchen that had a visible fingerprint that appeared to be in blood.

The Medical Examiner's Office in Baltimore performed an autopsy and ruled Teat's death a homicide. He had sustained 29 sharp force injuries to his neck, torso, and upper extremities.

The wounds to his neck injured his jugular veins, and stab wounds to his torso damaged his diaphragm, liver, and right lung.

Investigators noted that many of the wounds were consistent with defense-type injuries, meaning Teat had fought to protect himself during the attack.

Two days after the murder, detectives traveled to Dover, Delaware, where they located Teat's trailer and cellphone at an address connected to Sykes's girlfriend. While those interviews were being conducted, Philadelphia Police contacted Queen Anne's County detectives to report that officers had found Sykes driving Teat's truck. He was taken into custody in Philadelphia, PA.

Forensic evidence later confirmed what investigators had suspected. DNA testing showed that a bloody fingerprint on the kitchen bowl belonged to Sykes. DNA on the handle of the knife found in Teat's neck matched both Teat and Sykes.

The blood on the blue jeans belonged to Teat, and DNA from the interior waistband of those jeans matched Sykes.

Sykes's own words ultimately sealed the case.

During a phone call with his girlfriend after his arrest in Philadelphia, Sykes told her that he had killed Teat in anger over his mother's death and the loss of his cats.

Detectives learned of that conversation during a follow-up interview with the girlfriend.

The case was prosecuted by State's Attorney Lance G. Richardson and Deputy State's Attorney Christine Dulla Rickard, with assistance from Assistant State's Attorney Caitlin Robinson.

The Prosecutors commend the initial responding deputies and detectives from the Sheriff's Office Criminal Investigation Unit for their hard work on this case, as well as all of the witnesses for their cooperation in the investigation.

Sykes will serve his sentence in the Maryland Division of Corrections.