A former doctoral student and lecturer at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln has been arrested for second-degree murder after she allegedly shot the man with whom she shared a southern Maryland home. Forty-year-old Joanna Joyce Findlay was apprehended after police were called to the home Saturday night on a report of a domestic disturbance with shots fired.
Law enforcement officials in St. Mary’s County told press that Findlay, who is originally from Scotland, shot fifty-five-year-old Gary Alan Trogdon during the disturbance. When police arrived on the scene, Trogdon was dead from a gunshot wound. Information regarding what may have precipitated the shooting is unavailable, but those who knew both Findlay and Trogdon at the University of Nebraska say that the fatal incident came as a massive shock.
Sue Hart, a secretary for the English graduate program, commented to press:
“I knew her as a nice person, and I’m surprised,” English graduate program secretary Sue Hart said Tuesday.
Trogdon, a military historian for the army who was a faculty member at the online school American Public University, received his doctorate at UNL. His doctoral supervisor, Peter Maslowski, expressed sadness over Trogdon’s fate:
“He was always outgoing and friendly — always had a smile. That’s my recollection of him,” Maslowski said. “I’m sickened by this.”
According to his biography, Trogdon was working on documenting the experiences of Japanese Americans who attended his alma mater during World War II. Maslowski described Trogdon as “hard-working,” and said the victim had overcome a “limited educational background.”
Ms. Findlawy is currently being held at St. Mary’s County jail, and has not been granted bond.
This article is presented by The Law Office of David Benowitz, serving Virginia, Maryland and Washington DC.
