Man who gunned down Staunton victim convicted of first-degree murder
STAUNTON — Ja’Quez Brown was just 18 years old when he brutally shot down a Staunton man two years ago.
On Friday, a judge convicted Brown, now 20, of first-degree murder in the shooting death of Bruce Williams Jr., a 26-year-old Staunton man gunned down at the Springhill Village Apartments the night of July 9, 2020.
Fifteen rounds from a .40-caliber Glock handgun were fired at Williams the night he was killed. Four bullets struck him in the back and another pierced his skull. He was also shot in his left side and forearm.
“He died from gunshot wounds to the head and torso,” said Dr. Amy Tharp, an assistant chief medical examiner based in Roanoke. She said he was hit by six or possibly seven bullets.
The closest shell casing was found more than 60 feet from Williams, indicating he most likely tried to run before collapsing.
On Friday in Staunton Circuit Court, Brown’s alleged accomplice, Cameron Bahle, also his cousin, testified that he and Brown planned on robbing Williams during the sale of an ounce of marijuana. He said they drove to the apartment complex in Staunton, and cell phone evidence also placed both men at the scene during the deadly shooting.
Bahle testified Brown had made an earlier threat to kill Williams but said he “didn’t take him serious.”
After the sale was completed, Brown got out of his vehicle and got into a verbal altercation with Williams. Bahle said he was rolling a joint and listening to music and couldn’t quite hear the two men. “I couldn’t make out what they were saying,” he said.
Moments later, he said gunshots rang out.
“He was shooting Bruce Williams,” Bahle testified.
Brown ran back to the car, and Bahle said he initially had trouble getting the door unlocked before the pair fled the scene.
Prior to the killing, Brown used Bahle’s ATM card at a local DuPont Community Credit Union. Police found Williams still clutching $240 in cash.
On Thursday, video played in court showed Brown accompanying a man at Dominion Outdoors in Fishersville, where the man purchased .40-caliber rounds a day before Williams was shot to death.
About a week after the killing, authorities arrested Bahle in Norcross, Georgia, where he was living with his brother and his wife. Evidence showed Bahle was in the Staunton area at the time of the killing to finish a community service commitment that was part of a previous conviction. After authorities caught up with Bahle in Georgia, a Glock handgun was found hidden in a pillowcase inside the apartment.
Brown was arrested in Augusta County on the same day police apprehended Bahle in Georgia.
Brendon Bahle, Cameron Bahle’s brother, testified that Brown initially fled to Georgia with his brother and had the gun used in the killing when he showed up at the apartment. The older Bahle said Brown confessed to killing Williams and told him that on the night of the shooting he continued “firing until there were no rounds left.”
Brendon Bahle admitted to knowing about the robbery plan prior to the shooting, and also admitted that he declined to tell police about the plan or Brown’s admission.
“Did you discourage them?” asked defense attorney Brent Jackson.
“No, I did not,” Brendon Bahle said.
“Did you call the police?” Jackson asked.
“No, I did not,” he replied.
He also said that he gave Brown the gun that was was used in killing, then changed his testimony to say he bought the gun for Brown when he was still a juvenile.
Prior to convicting Brown, Circuit Judge Anne Reed noted Brendon Bahle’s “lack of empathy and human decency,” but said some of his testimony was credible.
Surprisingly, Brendon Bahle got a job at Middle River Regional Jail while his brother and Brown were both still incarcerated there, according to his testimony. He was later investigated for passing a note from one inmate to another and was out of a job after several months, he testified.
Jackson, who grilled the elder Bahle on the stand, argued there was not enough evidence to convict his client on the charges.
“There’s only two people here who said my client shot Bruce — Cameron and Brendon,” he said of the two brothers.
Brown was charged with capital murder, but Judge Reed convicted him of first-degree murder. The judge also convicted Brown on charges of conspiracy to commit robbery, attempted robbery and two gun charges. He faces the possibility of life in prison and will be sentenced Oct. 13.
Staunton Commonwealth's Attorney Jeff Gaines and Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Cassondra Baber prosecuted the case.
Bahle, also charged with murder, has a trial scheduled for July 14.
Brad Zinn is the cops, courts and breaking news reporter at The News Leader. Have a news tip? Or something that needs investigating? You can email reporter Brad Zinn (he/him) at bzinn@newsleader.com. You can also follow him on Twitter.
This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: Suspect guilty of first-degree murder in 2020 Staunton slaying
