Jury convicts man for gas station killing in 2021
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) – A jury convicted 24-year-old Darrius Cornell White on several charges for a killing at a gas station in 2021.
Commonwealth’s Attorney for the city of Virginia Beach, Colin D. Stolle, announced that a jury found White guilty of aggravated murder, two counts of robbery causing death and three counts of use of firearm. White is expected to be sentenced on Feb. 15, 2024.
According to the Commonwealth, evidence was able to prove that while the victim, Annie Smith, and her husband were getting gas at the Harris Teeter in the Haygood Shopping Center, Darrius White and his brother, Michael White, pulled up near the Smiths.
Michael White, who was wearing a bandana to cover his face, robbed Smith’s husband at gunpoint. Michael asked Mr. Smith a separate time to give up all of his property, but Smith claimed that he had given up everything that he had.
Michael then returned to his car, where Darrius took the gun and approached Mr. Smith and demanded property for a third time. Darrius then forced Mr. Smith out of the car and demanded property from Annie Smith, and then shot her in the chest three times.
The Whites both fled the scene and took Mrs. Smith’s legal firearm that was concealed in her vehicle.
Annie Smith was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Whites were driving a vehicle that they had stolen earlier in the day from Chesapeake. The owner of the stolen vehicle spotted the Whites driving his car shortly after the murder, which caused the Whites to ditch the vehicle.
Police were able to find Michael White’s fingerprints all over the vehicle after processing the stolen vehicle for evidence.
On Dec. 15 at around midnight, both of the Whites went to the hospital claiming to be suicidal.
Michael White pled guilty to charges of two counts of first degree murder causing death, three counts of use of a firearm and possession of firearm by convicted felon and is expected to be sentenced on Dec. 14, 2023.
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