News Flash

Posted on: June 6, 2023

Commonwealth v. D. Mensah, D. Martin Jr., T. Moses, & K. Beasley

Fourth Norfolk Man Sentenced for 2019 Armed Dorm Robbery of ODU Students

NORFOLK, Va. – The final defendant involved in an Old Dominion University campus armed robbery, 24-year-old Denzel Mensah, was sentenced Friday for his role in holding up tw...

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Commonwealth's Attorney News Releases
Posted on: June 6, 2023

Commonwealth v. Howard G. Harris

Maryland Man Sentenced to 5 Active Years for Transporting 2 Kilos of Fentanyl Into Norfolk in 2021

NORFOLK, Va. – Howard G. Harris (a.k.a. Christopher Wilson), 49, was sentenced Friday to five active years in prison for importing nearly two kilog...

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Commonwealth's Attorney News Releases
Posted on: June 5, 2023

Commonwealth v. Lachlan Mullins

Trigger Warning: Sexual Assault

Jury Convicts Norfolk Man of Raping Woman He Met at Bar in 2021

NORFOLK, Va. – A Norfolk jury on Friday convicted 24-year-old Lachlan Mullins of rape following a 2021 incident in which he forced himself on a woman h...

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Commonwealth's Attorney News Releases
Posted on: May 26, 2023

Commonwealth v. John T. Hardee

Trigger Warning: Child Abuse

Norfolk Man Sentenced to 35 Years in Prison for Scalding, Killing Girlfriend’s Toddler

NORFOLK, Va. – On April 23, 2018, John Tucker Hardee texted his live-in girlfriend, Shelby Rae Love, to hurry home to her...

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Commonwealth's Attorney News Releases
Posted on: May 24, 2023

Commonwealth v. Damian Berggren

Jury Convicts Norfolk Man of Auto and Credit Card Theft in 2022 Property Crime Spree

NORFOLK, Va. – A Norfolk jury convicted 25-year-old Damian Berggren on Tuesday of grand theft auto and three counts of credit card theft after he stole a Norfolk...

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Commonwealth's Attorney News Releases
Posted on: May 19, 2023

Commonwealth v. Tarsha L. Williams

Norfolk Woman Sentenced to 9 Years for Stabbing Another Woman in 2022

NORFOLK, Va. – Tarsha Laquita Williams, 33, was sentenced Friday to nine active years in prison for stabbing another woman in her chest after provoking a fight with the victim....

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Commonwealth's Attorney News Releases
Posted on: May 12, 2023

Commonwealth v. Albert L. Waiters

Trigger Warning: Child Sexual Abuse

Norfolk Man Sentenced to 10 Active Years for Sexually Assaulting His Child

NORFOLK, Va. – A Norfolk judge sentenced 51-year-old Albert Leon Waiters on Friday to 10 active years, from a 30-year total, in prison f...

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Commonwealth's Attorney News Releases
Posted on: May 5, 2023

Commonwealth v. Breon R. Davis

Jury Convicts Norfolk Man of Voluntary Manslaughter From 2021 Tinee Giant Shooting

NORFOLK, Va. – A Norfolk jury convicted 30-year-old Breon R. Davis of voluntary manslaughter on Thursday for shooting and killing 27-year-old Dante George Southerl...

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Commonwealth's Attorney News Releases
Posted on: April 26, 2023

Commonwealth v. Jonathan Brownell

NORFOLK, Va. – Jonathan Brownell, 35, was convicted of aggravated involuntary vehicular manslaughter on Monday after pleading guilty to the charge in Norfolk Circuit Court. Mr. Brownell had been drunk driving when he crashed his car on Interstat...

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Commonwealth's Attorney News Releases
Posted on: April 20, 2023

Commonwealth v. Zhari Vaughan

NORFOLK, Va. – A Norfolk jury convicted 27-year-old Zhari Vaughan on Thursday of being a violent felon in possession of a firearm after Mr. Vaughan was caught with a gun during a traffic stop last fall.

On Oct. 21, 2022, Norfolk Police officers i...

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Commonwealth's Attorney News Releases
Posted on: March 31, 2023

Commonwealth v. P. Babar, D. Small Jr., D. Simmons, & K. Bowers

NORFOLK, Va. – The last of four individuals was sentenced Friday for their involvement in the 2020 fatal shooting of 33-year-old Charles Anthony Sparks. A Norfolk jury convicted 51-year-old Peter William Babar and 29-year-old Donell Small Jr. of...

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Commonwealth's Attorney News Releases
Posted on: March 24, 2023

Commonwealth v. Gary D. Toone Jr.

NORFOLK, Va. – A Norfolk judge sentenced 23-year-old Gary Dewayne Toone Jr. on Friday to seven active years in prison for voluntary manslaughter following the shooting death of 33-year-old Matthew Scott Philbrick.

The morning of Oct. 14, 2021, No...

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Commonwealth's Attorney News Releases
Posted on: March 17, 2023

Commonwealth v. Charles E. Cunningham Jr.

Trigger Warning: Sexual Assault

NORFOLK, Va. – Charles Edward Cunningham Jr., a 71-year-old Norfolk man with a lengthy and violent criminal history, was sentenced Friday to 27 active years in prison for raping a Norfolk woman, whom he had previou...

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Commonwealth's Attorney News Releases
Posted on: March 17, 2023

Commonwealth v. Jessica A. Cherry

Trigger Warning: Child Abuse

NORFOLK, Va. – A Norfolk judge sentenced 39-year-old Jessica Anne Cherry on Friday to serve an active 10 years in prison for the neglect of one child in 2018 and the death of another in 2020 at her home daycare.

On Jun...

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Commonwealth's Attorney News Releases
Posted on: March 17, 2023

Commonwealth v. Rashad D. Dooley

NORFOLK, Va. – On Wednesday, a Norfolk Circuit Court judge sentenced 30-year-old Rashad Detwan Dooley to five suspended years in prison for his failure to appear in court during his trial regarding the 2011 shooting death of Christopher Cummings...

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Commonwealth's Attorney News Releases
Posted on: March 16, 2023

Commonwealth v. Lamont S. Smallwood

NORFOLK, Va. – A Norfolk jury convicted 33-year-old Lamont S. Smallwood on Thursday of second-degree murder and the use of a firearm in the May 29, 2022, shooting death of 26-year-old Paul L. Robinson.

On the night of May 29, Mr. Smallwood encoun...

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Commonwealth's Attorney News Releases
Posted on: February 10, 2023

Commonwealth v. Dearon E. Mosley

NORFOLK, Va. – On Friday, a Norfolk Circuit Court judge sentenced 22-year-old Dearon Earnest Mosley to 12 years and 8 months in prison for shooting and paralyzing a teenager in a convenience store parking lot over what is believed to have been a...

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Commonwealth's Attorney News Releases
Posted on: February 10, 2023

Commonwealth v. Rashad D. Dooley

NORFOLK, Va. – On Friday, a Norfolk Circuit Court judge sentenced 30-year-old Rashad Detwan Dooley to 25 active years in prison for his role in the murder plot against ODU student Christopher Cummings.

A Norfolk jury convicted Mr. Dooley on Sept....

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Commonwealth's Attorney News Releases
Posted on: February 9, 2023

Commonwealth v. Larry L. Taylor Jr.

NORFOLK, Va. – On Monday, Feb. 6, 2023, a Norfolk jury convicted Larry Lorenzo Taylor Jr., 35, of felony hit and run for running down an ODU tennis player and pinning him to a wall.

On Oct. 25, 2021, Nicola Vidal and some teammates went to the 7-Eleven on ...

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Commonwealth's Attorney News Releases
Posted on: February 2, 2023

Commonwealth v. Michael D. Tinsley

NORFOLK, Va. – Michael D. Tinsley, 36, was sentenced Tuesday to 13 active years in prison for savagely beating a 20-year U.S. Army veteran who was visiting Mr. Tinsley. The victim had been helping Mr. Tinsley transition to a new residence after ...

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Commonwealth's Attorney News Releases
Posted on: December 20, 2022

Commonwealth v. Juan F. Ramirez-Urrea Sentencing

NORFOLK, Va. – Juan Franklin Ramirez-Urrea, 20, was sentenced Friday to seven active years in prison for driving drunk and fatally striking 23-year-old Dontae Barlow, who was changing a tire on the shoulder of Interstate 64.

In the early morning hours of F...

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Commonwealth's Attorney News Releases
Posted on: December 20, 2022

Commonwealth v. George A. Boyd Sentencing

NORFOLK, Va. – George Antonio Boyd, 59, was sentenced on Friday to 38 active years in prison for shooting a mother and son during a domestic dispute in 2019. Mr. Boyd murdered Rasaun Nyje Davidson, 18, in front of Mr. Davidson’s mother...

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Commonwealth's Attorney News Releases
Posted on: December 16, 2022

Commonwealth v. Alexis Whitehead Sentencing

NORFOLK, Va. – Alexis Whitehead, a 25-year-old Navy Sailor stationed in Norfolk, was sentenced Friday to 12 years in prison for racing under the influence with another vehicle at more than 130 miles per hour and crashing in a residential area of...

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Commonwealth's Attorney News Releases
Posted on: December 9, 2022

Commonwealth v. Shawna L. Edwards Sentencing

NORFOLK, Va. – Shawna Linell Edwards, 51, was sentenced Friday to one active year in prison for embezzling over $35,000 in copays and cash belonging to the medical practice that employed her.

From January 2016 through August 2018, Ms. Edwards wor...

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Commonwealth's Attorney News Releases
Posted on: December 9, 2022

Commonwealth v. Dashawan K. Medley Sentencing

NORFOLK, Va. – Dashawan Kalvin Medley, 29, was sentenced Friday to 15 active years in prison for robbing a Pollard’s Chicken employee and shooting at a good Samaritan who came to her rescue.

Early in the morning of Feb. 7, 2020, Mr. Med...

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Commonwealth's Attorney News Releases
Posted on: December 9, 2022

Commonwealth v. Rahquan L. Matthews Sentencing

NORFOLK, Va. – Rahquan Lavon Matthews, 20, was sentenced Friday to 15 active years in prison for robbing a Dollar Tree cashier at gunpoint earlier this year.

On the afternoon of March 29, 2022, Mr. Matthews visited the Dollar Tree near the inters...

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Commonwealth's Attorney News Releases
Posted on: November 18, 2022

Commonwealth v. Linwood Scott Jr. Sentencing

NORFOLK, Va. – Nearly 30 years ago, Linwood Scott Jr. burglarized a sleeping woman’s home and raped her, but DNA evidence at the time could not assist Norfolk Police in finding a suspect. After watching a television special about retes...

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Commonwealth's Attorney News Releases
Posted on: November 10, 2022

Commonwealth v. Catherine L. Seals, Hank L. Smith Jr., and Robert T. Bolsinger-Hartshorn

NORFOLK, Va. – In 2018, 4-year-old Larkin Carr died in the care of his father, Hank Larkin Smith Jr., and his father’s fiancée, Catherine Louise Seals, because Ms. Seals’ teen son beat him repeatedly while the adul...

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Commonwealth's Attorney News Releases
Posted on: November 4, 2022

Commonwealth v. Raphael J. Cuffee Sentencing

NORFOLK, Va. – Raphael Jamal Cuffee, a 30-year-old Norfolk man, was sentenced in Norfolk Circuit Court on Friday, Nov. 4, 2022, to 18 active years in prison for shooting and killing 35-year-old Michael Carnell Perry in 2020.

On Oct. 10, 2020, Mr....

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Commonwealth's Attorney News Releases
Posted on: October 17, 2022

Statement of Commonwealth's Attorney Ramin Fatehi Regarding "Operation Bold Blue Line"

Statement of Commonwealth's Attorney Ramin Fatehi Regarding "Operation Bold Blue Line"

Earlier today Governor Youngkin, Lieutenant Governor Sears, and Attorney General Miyares came to Norfolk to make a series of announcements that they c...

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Commonwealth's Attorney News Releases
Posted on: October 11, 2022

Legal Conclusion Following Officer-Involved Shooting of Barry D. Carrington

The following is contents of a letter dated Oct. 11, 2022, from the Norfolk Commonwealth's Attorney to Virginia State Police Captain Timothy A. Reibel detailing Mr. Fatehi's legal conclusion following the officer-involved shooting of Bar...

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Commonwealth's Attorney News Releases
Posted on: October 10, 2022

Norfolk Commonwealth's Attorney Announces Oct. 11 Press Conference

NORFOLK — On Tuesday, October 11, Norfolk Commonwealth’s Attorney Ramin Fatehi will announce his legal conclusions from his review of the February officer-involved shooting of Barry D. Carrington on Granby Street. Mr. Fatehi invites me...

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Commonwealth's Attorney News Releases
Posted on: October 7, 2022

Commonwealth v. Andre Brinkley Jr. Sentencing

NORFOLK, Va. – Andre Brinkley Jr., a 23-year-old Norfolk man, was sentenced in Norfolk Circuit Court on Friday, October 7, 2022, to 29 active years in prison for his role in a 2019 shooting and robbery spree that resulted in injuries to two indi...

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Commonwealth's Attorney News Releases
Posted on: September 23, 2022

Commonwealth v. Robert L. Vick Jr. Sentencing

NORFOLK, Va. – Robert Lee Vick Jr., a 24-year-old Norfolk man, was sentenced in Norfolk Circuit Court on Friday, September 23, 2022, to more than 12 years in prison for gunning down two men and wounding a third man following an August 2020 alter...

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Commonwealth's Attorney News Releases
Posted on: September 23, 2022

Commonwealth v. Avion L. Northan Sentencing

NORFOLK, Va. – Avion Lamar Northan, a 33-year-old Norfolk man, was sentenced in Norfolk Circuit Court on Friday, September 23, 2022, to 20 active years in prison for ramming his SUV into the mother of his children in the MacArthur Center parking...

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Commonwealth's Attorney News Releases
Posted on: August 19, 2022

Commonwealth v. Daniel L. Horne Sentencing

NORFOLK, Va. – Daniel Lee Horne, a 27-year-old Norfolk man, was sentenced in Norfolk Circuit Court on Friday, Aug. 19, 2022, to 20 active years in prison for shooting and paralyzing then-28-year-old Tyquane L. Perry in 2020.

In the early morning ...

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Commonwealth's Attorney News Releases
Posted on: July 26, 2022

Commonwealth v. Joseph J. Giles

NORFOLK, Va. – Joseph John Giles, a 66-year-old Norfolk man, was sentenced in Norfolk Circuit Court on Tuesday, July 26, 2022, to 16 active years in prison for murdering 63-year-old Douglas Warf.

Mr. Giles was captured on surveillance video from ...

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Commonwealth's Attorney News Releases
Posted on: July 22, 2022

Commonwealth v. Nicholas P. Bond Sentencing

NORFOLK, Va. – Nicholas Patrick Bond, a 36-year-old Norfolk man, was sentenced in Norfolk Circuit Court on Friday, July 22, 2022, to five active years in prison for a burglary at a Ghent home, during which he was caught on camera by the homeowne...

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Commonwealth's Attorney News Releases
Posted on: July 6, 2022

U.S. v. Kevin Andrew Staton Jr.

NORFOLK, Va. – Kevin Andrew Staton Jr., 24, was sentenced today in United States District Court to 18 months’ imprisonment with two years of supervised release to follow for firearm trafficking. Mr. Staton, of Chesapeake, engaged in the buying and selling...

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Commonwealth's Attorney News Releases