Dennis Lee Adkins, a 52-year-old White man from Beckley, West Virginia, was killed late on July 6, 2025, during a shooting inside a Beckley residence. The violence came after what investigators were told had been a difficult day between Dennis and his brother, Ralph Williams Adkins. According to the criminal complaint described by local news outlets, the brothers had been involved in a physical altercation earlier that day and were reportedly intoxicated. The confrontation appeared to have subsided, however, and the two men seemed to be getting along again before the situation suddenly turned deadly.
Dennis was sitting on a couch and reportedly rolling a cigarette when Ralph obtained a handgun and fired a single shot at him. Their mother, Norma Adkins, was reportedly sitting only a few feet away in a recliner and witnessed the shooting. She contacted authorities and reported that Ralph had shot Dennis.
Published accounts differ slightly on the precise time of the emergency call, placing it at roughly 10:45 p.m. or 11:45 p.m., but agree that the shooting occurred late Sunday night. When police entered the residence, Dennis was found slumped on the couch, unresponsive and bleeding from a gunshot wound to his head or face. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
West Virginia State Police responded to the home and had Ralph and his mother come outside. According to the criminal complaint as reported by the media, Ralph immediately acknowledged what had happened, telling the responding trooper that he had shot his brother and that he was guilty. Investigators recovered a handgun from the residence. A more detailed account of the complaint identified the weapon as a. 22-caliber RG Model 14S revolver containing two spent cartridges and four live rounds. Investigators also administered a gunshot-residue test to Ralph as they gathered evidence from the scene.
Police took Ralph Williams Adkins to the West Virginia State Police detachment in Beckley following the shooting. After being advised of his Miranda rights, he reportedly again admitted shooting Dennis during an interview with investigators. According to the account of the criminal complaint, Ralph indicated that he understood the seriousness of what he had done and acknowledged that he expected to be in trouble for a long time. Authorities arrested him in connection with his brother's death and charged him with first-degree murder. He was subsequently incarcerated at Southern Regional Jail without bond.
The killing left Dennis's own family at the center of both the loss and the criminal investigation: the accused shooter was his brother, and their mother was described as an eyewitness who summoned authorities. Dennis's obituary records that he died on July 6, 2025, and identifies Ralph Williams Adkins as his brother, further confirming the family relationship reported in the criminal case. Dennis also left behind other relatives, including children and grandchildren.
The publicly available case-specific reporting located for this synopsis establishes Ralph Williams Adkins as the only identified suspect and documents his arrest and first-degree murder charge. The sources reviewed do not report a subsequent trial verdict, guilty plea, conviction, acquittal, sentencing, or dismissal in Dennis Adkins's death. Accordingly, the latest verifiable status from those reports is that Ralph was arrested, charged with first-degree murder, and held without bond while the West Virginia State Police investigation and criminal proceedings continued.
