Lil Xelly circa 2019.
via the artist.
Montgomery County prosecutors have convicted 27-year-old Kaloyan Dimov Stoev for the killing of DMV rapper Lil Xelly and Leilani Marroquin in January 2025. The trial, which began on Monday, lasted just four days before a Maryland jury handed down a guilty verdict.
Stoev was convicted for two counts of second-degree murder, two counts of use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, and two counts of possession of a firearm while prohibited. Sentencing is scheduled for September 28.
Stoev is said to have shot and killed Xelly, 26, real name Marcell Hebron, and Marroquin, 27, in the early hours of January 17, 2025. Per reporting by WTOP, Stoev was planning to buy two ounces of weed from Xelly, whom he had known for "years." Stoev told investigators Xelly was about to pull a gun from his waistband, which is why Stoev shot him 27 times from inside and outside the vehicle.
After he exited the vehicle, Stoev said Marroquin attempted to retrieve a gun from the glove box. He then shot her five times. After that, Stoev sat on Xelly's dead body and attempted to abandon the vehicle in the woods, though the car stopped running a short distance later.
Stoev returned to a hotel he was staying at, where his erratic behavior concerned staff (per reporting by Bethesda Magazine). He was ultimately arrested at that hotel later the same day.
"The senseless and violent loss of the victims has left two families in our community devastated," said Montgomery County State's Attorney John McCarthy.
Revisit The FADER's 2019 interview with Lil Xelly and our Lil Xelly obituary from last year.
