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Police Charge Client In Murder Of Bail Bondswoman In Columbia

COLUMBIA, Md. (WJZ)—The quiet town of Columbia is reeling from the bizarre murder of a bail bondswoman.

Weijia Jiang reports her accused killer was released on bail less than two weeks ago.

Dominique Davon McDonald, 21, faces many charges for the murder of 42-year-old Nichole McNair, who police say was working as a bail bondswoman when she was killed.

The two had arranged to meet on Hayshed Lane in Columbia on Monday night.

"While she was there to collect that money, she was shot," said Sherry Llewellyn, Howard County Police.

"I was taking out the garbage over there, coming back and heard a gunshot and then I heard a woman scream 'Oh my God' and said something else," said James Lang, neighbor.

When officers arrived to the scene, McNair's car was still running. Inside they found paperwork showing she was trying get a payment from McDonald, who on Sept. 2 posted a $20,000 bond for multiple gun violations.

Court documents reveal an officer found him at 2 a.m. with a loaded assault pistol at Long Reach High School.

Police tracked McDonald down on Tamar Drive, just a quarter mile away from the scene. On him, they found several pieces of evidence connecting him to the murder.

"We did recover both a loaded handgun, a hooded jacket that met a description given to us by witnesses, and the other half of the cell phone we found at the scene," Llewellyn said.

At this point it's unclear who McNair was working for.  Court papers list Financial Casualty and Surety in Texas as the company handling McDonald's bond.

When WJZ asked if they contracted McNair, a manager said no comment.

Local companies McNair listed as employers online said she was not working for them.

McDonald has a lengthy criminal record. He is still on probation for a 2008 assault case in which he served a year and a half in jail.

McDonald is being held in Howard County on $2 million bond.

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