Women indicted for first-degree murder in death of 13-year-old girl

Jun. 16—PRINCETON — A mother and daughter charged with a shooting March 23 which took the life of a 13-year-old girl have been indicted for first-degree murder and other offenses by the Mercer County Grand Jury.

Nichole Brooks, 43, and her daughter Isis Wallace, 22, both of Bluefield were indicted by the June 2022 grand jury on charges including first-degree murder, use of a firearm during the commission of a felony and conspiracy, according to a criminal docket released Thursday by the Mercer County Prosecuting Attorney's Office.

A search started March 23 for Brooks and Wallace after a shooting occurred at the intersection of Route 460 and Cumberland Road in Bluefield. Shots were fired from one car into another, striking a 13-year-old girl in the head. She later passed away at a Charleston hospital. The shooting happened after a verbal altercation between Wallace and her ex-boyfriend, investigators with the Bluefield Police Department said later.

Brooks and Wallace were brought back to West Virginia after being apprehended in Delaware. Both women are being held without bond at the Southern Regional Jail.

The two indictments were among 79 handed down by the grand jury.

Defendants who were indicted must appear at the Mercer County Courthouse before Judge William Sadler on June 27 at 9:30 a.m. to be arraigned on their pending charges.

"We appreciate the hard-work of our law enforcement officers who investigate these cases and present their evidence before the Grand Jury," said Prosecuting Attorney Brian K. Cochran. "We also appreciate the 16 citizens who do their civic duty every term to review the evidence to ensure fairness and impartiality. The grand jury serves an important role in the criminal justice system by listening to evidence in felony criminal cases to determine if probable cause exists to take a defendant to trial."

"All who have been charged are presumed to be innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt," Cochran said.

Contact Greg Jordan at gjordan@bdtonline.com