Trigger Warning: Domestic Violence

Man Sentenced to 7 Years Following Trial Conviction of Assaulting, Strangling Wife

NORFOLK, Va. — Rayvon Kersey, 56, was sentenced on Wednesday to serve seven years in prison after a judge found him guilty at trial of strangulation, abduction, and domestic assault against his wife last year.

On the night of April 2 into the early morning of April 3, 2024, Mr. Kersey argued with and assaulted his wife in their bedroom. Mr. Kersey elevated the verbal argument to a physical altercation by holding his wife down on their bed, putting his hands around her neck, and strangling her while digging into her skin with his fingernails. When Mr. Kersey finally let go after a couple of minutes, the victim tried to get up to leave but fell down to the floor and blacked out. When she came to, she attempted to leave again, but Mr. Kersey punched her in her jaw and continued to assault her, including biting one of her fingers until it bled. Mr. Kersey threatened to kill her if she left, and so she stayed.

After about a week, the victim decided to leave Mr. Kersey, seek medical treatment at a local urgent care facility, and seek further assistance at a local domestic violence shelter. After consulting with personnel at the shelter, the victim went to the Norfolk Police Operations Center and spoke with a detective about the events of April 2 and 3. The detective put the victim before a Norfolk magistrate and secured charges against Mr. Kersey for felony strangulation, felony abduction, and misdemeanor domestic assault.

On Oct. 17, Mr. Kersey pleaded not guilty to his charges and requested to be tried by a judge. The victim testified to what Mr. Kersey had done to her, and Mr. Kersey chose to testify, too, claiming that he held her by her shoulders on the bed but denying most of the other things he did. After hearing the evidence, Judge Robert J. Humphreys found Mr. Kersey guilty as charged.

Mr. Kersey has a long criminal history, including prior domestic assaults, and so his state sentencing guidelines recommended a sentence between a low-end of three years and a high-end of nearly nine years in prison. At his sentencing hearing on Wednesday, the Commonwealth recommended a sentence toward the high-end of Mr. Kersey’s guidelines. After hearing the arguments from the Commonwealth and defense, Judge Humphreys sentenced Mr. Kersey to serve seven years in prison and suspended another four years in prison on the conditions that Mr. Kersey complete three years of uniform good behavior and supervised probation, as well as any treatments recommended by probation, following his release.

“Nobody has the right to assault anyone, especially not someone one claims to love,” said Commonwealth’s Attorney Ramin Fatehi. “Mr. Kersey violently attacked the victim in this case, and he has had prior chances to do better. He has not done better, and so he has earned a prison sentence for his actions, both to show that what he has done is wrong and to protect the community from further acts of violence. I stand with the survivor of Mr. Kersey’s crimes and with survivors who deserve safety from their abusers.”

Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Victoria T. Vaccaro prosecuted Mr. Kersey’s case, and Norfolk Police Detective LaRue D. Wilkins led the investigation.

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Oct. 18, 2024

Trigger Warning: Domestic Violence

Judge Convicts Man Following Bench Trial of Assaulting, Strangling Wife

NORFOLK, Va. — Rayvon Kersey, 56, was found guilty following a bench trial on Thursday of strangulation, abduction, and domestic assault and battery after he strangled his wife to the point that she lost consciousness and continued assaulting her after he prevented her from leaving their bedroom earlier this year.

On the night of April 2 into the early morning of April 3, Mr. Kersey argued with and assaulted his wife in their bedroom. Mr. Kersey elevated the verbal argument to a physical altercation by holding his wife down on their bed, putting his hands around her neck, and strangling her while digging into her skin with his nails. When Mr. Kersey finally let go after a couple of minutes, the victim tried to get up to leave but fell down to the floor and blacked out. When she came to, she attempted to leave again, but Mr. Kersey punched her in her jaw and continued to assault her, including biting one of her fingers until it bled. Mr. Kersey threatened to kill her if she left, and so she complied.

After about a week, the victim decided to leave Mr. Kersey, seek medical treatment at a local urgent care facility, and seek further assistance at a local domestic violence shelter. After consulting with personnel at the shelter, the victim went to the Norfolk Police Operations Center and spoke with a detective about the events of April 2 and 3. The detective put the victim before a Norfolk magistrate and secured charges against Mr. Kersey for felony strangulation, felony abduction, and misdemeanor assault and battery of a family member.

On Thursday, Mr. Kersey pleaded not guilty to his charges and requested to be tried by a judge. The victim testified to her experience, and Mr. Kersey testified to restraining her by her shoulders on the bed but minimized the remainder of the assault. After hearing the evidence, Judge Robert J. Humphreys found Mr. Kersey guilty of all charges and set his sentencing date on Jan. 15.

“Intimate-partner violence is the most common and most underreported violent crime on Earth,” said Commonwealth’s Attorney Ramin Fatehi. “I am thankful to the survivor here for coming forward and helping hold Mr. Kersey accountable for his actions. People who strangle their victims are several times more likely to kill than those who do not, and we treat these cases seriously.”

Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Victoria V. Kapper is prosecuting Mr. Kersey’s case on behalf of the Commonwealth, and Norfolk Police Detective LaRue D. Wilkins led the investigation.

If you have or someone you love has fallen victim to crime, including but not limited to domestic violence, resources are available at the Norfolk Family Justice Center. For more information, please visit norfolkfjc.org, call 757-330-0376 or stop by the NFJC inside the Park Place Multi-Services Center at 606 W. 29th St., between 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. on weekdays. If you are in crisis, call the 24/7 hotline by dialing 757-251-0144. In an emergency, please call 911.

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