Sentencing postponed for man convicted of first-degree murder in Staunton
STAUNTON — Thursday's sentencing of a Fishersville man convicted of first-degree murder has been postponed.
Ja’Quez Brown, 21, is facing the possibility of life in prison after being convicted in July.
Defense attorney Brent Jackson recently asked the court to continue the sentencing hearing, and said as he prepared Brown and his family for the hearing he was "informed of certain exculpatory evidence which was not available at the time of the trial," according to a court filing.
Jackson said he needs additional time to see if documents Brown has are adequate to request the re-opening of the case.
Brown's sentencing hearing has been pushed back to Dec. 5, according to the Staunton Commonwealth's Attorney's Office.
Brown's accomplice, Cameron I. Bahle, 22, was sentenced in August to 18 years behind bars.
Brown was just 18 years old when he gunned down 26-year-old Bruce Williams Jr. a little more two years ago at the Springhill Village Apartments in Staunton the night of July 9, 2020. Williams lived at the apartment complex.
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 went through his skull. He was also shot in his left side and forearm.
According to testimony, Brown and Bahle had planned to rob Williams during a small-time drug deal involving marijuana. Cell phone evidence placed both men at the scene. 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. Moments later, Bahle said he heard gunshots, according to testimony.
About a week after the killing, authorities arrested Bahle in Norcross, Georgia, where he was living with his brother and his brother's 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 his brother's apartment.
Brown was arrested in Augusta County on the same day police apprehended Bahle in Georgia.
At his trial, Brown was also found guilty on charges of conspiracy to commit robbery, attempted robbery and two gun charges. He is being held at Middle River Regional Jail.
Bahle remains at the Rockingham-Harrisonburg Regional Jail and is awaiting transfer into the Virginia Department of Corrections.
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: Sentencing postponed for man convicted of first-degree murder in Staunton
