Beckley man pleads guilty to murder, sentenced to 15-65 years

Aug. 16—Raleigh County Prosecuting Attorney Ben Hatfield said his office is doing everything it can to deter gun and drug-related offenses by pursuing the harshest penalties for such crimes.

Hatfield said this was evident Wednesday at the plea and sentencing hearing for Zephaniah Joel Branham, 21, of Beckley, who pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, malicious wounding and possession with intent to deliver a Schedule II narcotic.

Branham's charges stem from a shooting at the Country Inn and Suites on Harper Road in Beckley on Sunday, May 8, 2022.

According to the criminal complaint, Branham went to the hotel to sell Percocet, a Schedule II narcotic, to two individuals, Camron Quick and Shakem Atkinson.

During the drug transaction, which occurred on the third floor of the hotel, Branham pulled out a handgun he was carrying and began shooting, striking Quick at the base of the neck and Atkinson in the neck and the hand.

Quick died on the scene from his injuries, and Atkinson was taken to Raleigh General Hospital for serious gunshot injuries.

For his charges as well as others that were unrelated to the shooting, Hatfield said Branham was given an indeterminate sentence of 15 to 65 years in prison.

Hatfield said the charges were initially pursued under what is called the "felony murder rule," which allows for a murder charge when murder is committed in the commission of certain felonies even if it's done without premeditation.

"In other words, as it applies to this case, if you're selling drugs — and I believe Branham's defense was the other guys pulled the guns first, the customers pulled the guns first so he was saying it's self-defense — you are not entitled to use self-defense if you're in the commission of a specifically enumerated felony," Hatfield said.

"So if you're there selling drugs, if you put yourself in that situation, and it causes someone's death, even if they're the initial aggressor, you're guilty of murder. So it's one of those situations we're trying to deter drug crime. We're trying to deter gun crime in a larger arc but, in a shorter arc, punish Zephaniah Branham for the death of Camron Quick in this specific instance."

Branham also pleaded guilty Wednesday to two charges unrelated to the shooting.

Hatfield said those charges were strangulation, which stemmed from a domestic violence incident with the mother of Branham's child, and offense by an inmate, which was related to an incident that occurred while Branham was being held at Southern Regional Jail.

Hatfield said he was pleased with the outcome of the sentencing, which addressed several important issues occurring in the county.

"This is just a push that we're making, to do a couple of things," he said. "One, take offenses committed in the jail more seriously, take domestic violence more seriously, but also to decrease gun violence in our county."

He added that while a sentence that has an end date may not seem just for someone guilty of murder, Branham could serve as many years as other individuals who are sentenced to life with parole.

"When someone gets life in West Virginia, unless it's life without parole, if they get life with parole, it's 15 (years) to life," he said. "So (Branham's sentence) was the equivalent of a life sentence ... It's basically the same thing; it just looks different because it has a back number instead of the word 'life.'"

Branham's plea took place Wednesday in Raleigh County Circuit Court Judge Robert A. Burnside's courtroom.