Man sentenced to life in prison for 2021 murder

SALISBURY, Md. – A man convicted of first degree murder has been sentenced to life without parole plus 73 years behind bars.

Kenneth Evans was convicted in October 2022 of first degree murder, first degree rape, home invasion, robbery, first degree arson, and related offenses. Evans was also determined to be a sexually violent predator.

During the early morning hours of May 21, 2021, Kenneth Evans traveled from the Delmar area to a residential neighborhood located along Glastonbury Drive in Salisbury. Evans then entered the home of Helen Riggins and heinously offended her over the course of several hours. Riggins was bound, strangled, raped, and murdered. Evans then doused the victim and areas of the inside of the residence with gasoline and set it on fire just before fleeing on foot.

During sentencing, the Honorable S. James Sarbanes told the courtroom that the facts of this case constituted the worst he has seen his in nearly ten-year tenure. He also said that Helen’s life was “taken in the most brutal way possible”.