On the early morning of Monday, December 15, 2025, police in Hopewell, Virginia, responded to a distress call that resulted in the discovery of a homicide. At approximately 1:25 a.m., officers were dispatched to the 1000 block of Haskell Street after receiving reports of shots fired in the area. Upon arriving at the scene, law enforcement located a single-vehicle accident. Inside the vehicle, they discovered the victim, identified as Jesse James Rhodes, who was suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. The 38-year-old male, who was a resident of Hopewell and was tragically killed on his birthday, was pronounced deceased at the scene by responders.
Detectives with the Hopewell Police Department's Criminal Investigations Unit launched an immediate inquiry into the shooting. The investigation quickly developed leads that pointed toward specific individuals believed to be responsible for the violence. With the assistance of the U.S. Marshals Service, authorities were able to locate and apprehend the primary suspect. Wendell Lamont Studivant, a 41-year-old man from Hopewell, was taken into custody and charged with second-degree murder. Following his arrest, Studivant was transported to the Riverside Regional Jail where he was held without bond.
A second suspect was also identified and charged in connection with the case. Police arrested 40-year-old Markice Garry Haskins of Petersburg, charging him with the misdemeanor offense of accessory after the fact in a felony. The Hopewell Police Department continued to solicit information from the public following the arrests, encouraging anyone with knowledge of the incident to contact the Criminal Investigations Unit or the local Crime Solvers hotline to assist with the ongoing legal proceedings.
