In the late hours of a cold Friday night, a tragedy unfolded on Interstate 295 in Henrico County, Virginia, that cut short the life of Silvio Sobrinho, a 58-year-old male truck driver. On January 31, 2025, at approximately 11:30 p.m., Sobrinho was operating his tractor-trailer, hauling a load of cars in the southbound lanes. It was near mile marker 25 that his journey took a violent and fatal turn in what authorities believe was a road rage incident. Another semi-truck, described as a white tractor-trailer with green lettering, traveling in the center lane, struck Sobrinho's vehicle. The impact was severe enough to force his truck off the roadway and into a guardrail.
After Sobrinho's truck came to a crashing halt against the metal guardrail, the harrowing encounter escalated. The driver of the other semi-truck allegedly pulled up alongside Sobrinho's disabled vehicle and fired multiple rounds into the cab. A witness who was traveling in the northbound lanes saw the crash, pulled over, and discovered Sobrinho unresponsive, slumped over the steering wheel. This passerby immediately contacted the police. Virginia State Police troopers arrived at the scene and one performed CPR in an attempt to save his life, but tragically, Sobrinho was pronounced dead at the scene from a gunshot wound. Investigators later found several bullet holes on the passenger side of his truck's cab.
The investigation into the shooting death of Silvio Sobrinho launched a nearly two-week manhunt for the person responsible. The Virginia State Police diligently worked the case, seeking information from the public to identify the suspect and the vehicle involved. Their efforts led them to a suspect in Florida. On Thursday, February 13, 2025, Tony Ray Williams, a 55-year-old truck driver from Fort Pierce, Florida, was taken into custody by the Fort Pierce Police Department.
Following his arrest, Tony Ray Williams was charged with second-degree murder and the use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. He was held in Florida awaiting extradition to Henrico County to face the charges related to the violent death of Silvio Sobrinho. The investigation continues as authorities work to piece together the events that led to the fatal roadside encounter on that January night.
