A new, and surprising, development occurred in the 2007 murder case of Jayne McGowan earlier today, with Michael Pritchett pleading guilty moments before trial was set to start.

The November 9th event shocked many, as Jayne’s house, located just off of Locust Ave., was definitely not in a high crime area, along with the fact that the entire event stemmed from a random break-in by two perpetrators.  The 26 year old UVa graduate had moved back to Charlottesville only months earlier, in order to become the Development Coordinator for a local non-profit, the AIDS/HIV Services Group.  She had just completed preparations for the 20th Anniversary Gala event, held on November 10th, when she was murdered.

Within four days of her death, police had captured William Gentry (22) and Michael Pritchett (18), and charged them with 4 felonies each, including breaking and entering, robbery, and murder.

Pritchett’s plea this morning was not expected by prosecutors nor family members, as a claim of not-guilty had been entered during preliminary hearings.  An additional hearing will occur to determine the exact sentence; however, he is facing the possibility of life without parole.

Details are still light on this one, however a gunman in Appomattox (roughly 2 hours southwest near Lynchburg) appears to have killed 7-8 individuals, and forced a police helicopter to land after shooting holes in its fuel system.  [Info]

Two sentences were handed down today, one for Charlottesville’s latest would be wife killer, Patrick Shemorry (28) and one for an apparent drug kingpin, Warren “Pop” Rucker II (19).

Shemorry has made the the rounds of all the local news outlets for his attempted hiring of Michael Terry with the intent of killing his estranged wife, Starla.  His sentence was only .5 years from the maximum allowed in his plea agreement.

Rucker opted to have his case heard by a jury, and was found guilty after a three day trial in September.  His initial indictment was for possession and distribution of 56 grams of cocaine, 197 grams of crack cocaine, and a .45 caliber pistol.

Neither individual appears to have much, if any, criminal history, which would easily have effected the sentencing guidelines.

The only conclusion which can be drawn from these two events, is that the willful intent of causing a life to be taken is a significantly less serious offense then providing consenting adults with a substance which they seek to obtain.  [Photo Credits]

Yesterday prosecutors released the above video clip which very blatantly shows the defendant, Patrick J. Shemorry, accepting news that the ‘hit’ he had hired out on his wife had been completed.  Witness One, namely the individual performing the camera pen coverage, was propositioned by Shemorry to kill his wife post separation, and offered the keys to his JPA condo, and copious amounts of ‘cocaine & marijuana’ in exchange for it.

The tale of this most recent Charlottesville drama is a very interesting read, but here are a few highlights:

• The video was shot outside the house of Shemorry’s new girlfriend.  Really?  “Don’t worry honey, I’ll just be in the backyard asking about the remains of my ex-wife, you know, guy talk.”  There is no accounting for taste.
• Witness One was apparently the couples ‘go-to’ guy in New Orleans for scoring drugs.  So it’s obvious that they would invite him back to Charlottesville to live with them.  I’m not saying couch surfing is bad, but a little reason could go a long way, for all parties involved.
• Witness One was already a wanted individual in Virginia and other states, and had assumed the identity of his cousin.  I’m sure ‘assuming the identity’ could merely be left at ‘using someone else’s ID’, but it does add one more crime to the rather long list these individuals racked up together.

Whatever the outcome of W1s charges may be, it certainly is fortunate that he stepped up in the situation and risked prosecution in order to protect the intended victim, Mrs. Knight.  I’m also a bit surprised that he made an initial video, traveled to the Big Easy, showed it to her, and then returned to Charlottesville to play it for FBI officers.

The defendant decided not to defend, and entered a plea of guilty in exchange for an expected 9-10 year sentence, which will be formally handed down December 9th.  [Info]

We learned from our commenters about a shooting that happened over the weekend. We didn’t know details until Chalottesville put out the official release which explained that one person had been shot and killed and three injured on Saturday at midnight outside of Pacino’s Deli on the Corner.  Today, we learn that Darryl Andre Johnson (pictured above), who had previously been a fugitive, has voluntarily turned himself into police.

[via NBC 29]

We have just been forwarded the press release about the weekend shooting brought up in this post.  Sadly, there was another homicide, this time at midnight on the Corner outside of Pacino’s deli.

Here is the press release:

On Saturday Morning, October 12, 2008, at approximately 0020 hours, Charlottesville Police officers responded to a report of a shooting at 1329 West Main Street in Charlottesville. Upon their arrival, they discovered the body of 22 year old Phillip E. Adams, Jr., of Charlottesville, lying on the sidewalk adjacent to that location with an apparent gun shot wound to the chest area. Mr. Adams was transported to the UVA Medical Center where he died a short time later.

Preliminary investigation has revealed that Mr. Adams was attending a private party on the second floor of Pacino’s Deli, located at 1329 West Main Street, when he became involved in a confrontation with a subject later identified as Darryl Andre Johnson. During the course of the confrontation, Johnson is reported to have shot Adams and then subsequently fled the scene.

Johnson is described as black male, medium complexion, 20 years of age, 5-8, and 140 pounds.

Three other persons who were attending the party were also injured, but their injuries are not life threatening. Detectives are not releasing the names of those individuals at this point in their investigation.

Warrants have been obtained charging Johnson with Murder, Use of a Firearm in the commission of a Murder, Malicious Wounding, and Use of a Firearm in the commission of a Malicious Wounding.

Click to Download the Wanted Poster with Picture of Johnson

Anyone having ANY information regarding this incident or the whereabouts of Johnson is urged to contact CRIMESTOPPERS at 434-977-4000, or Detective James Mooney at 434-970-3374.

1PM… More updates from Charlottesville police chief Tim Longo after the break…

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