Russell Branden Barnes, a 32-year-old Black man from Portsmouth, Virginia, was killed during an early-morning double shooting on April 20, 2024. At approximately 1:28 a.m., Portsmouth police officers were dispatched to the 600 block of Lancer Drive, near Airline Boulevard, after receiving a report of suspicious activity. When officers arrived, they found Barnes and Eric Pernell Jones Jr. suffering from fatal gunshot wounds.
Later accounts from prosecutors described Jones as being found in a parking lot while Barnes was lying on the ground in front of a residence. Both victims were pronounced dead at the scene.
The investigation quickly focused on Jamal Antonio Parham. Initial reports said detectives interviewed witnesses and apprehended Parham in connection with the killings. Authorities initially charged him with two counts of second-degree murder, two counts of using a firearm in the commission of a felony, and two counts related to maliciously shooting, cutting, or stabbing with the intent to maim or kill. Court records later showed the prosecution continuing against Parham in Portsmouth Circuit Court, where the case included separate murder and firearm counts arising from the deaths.
More information about the moments surrounding Parham’s arrest emerged as the prosecution progressed. According to prosecutors, Parham returned to the scene after the shootings and admitted to police that he had shot Jones. He then directed officers to the firearm he said he had used, which was on the front seat of his vehicle. Police took him into custody at the scene. Although the public account specifically described his admission concerning Jones, Parham ultimately faced prosecution for both killings, and no other suspect was publicly identified in the available reporting.
The case remained in Portsmouth Circuit Court for more than two years. By January 2026, court docket records showed Parham facing two second-degree murder charges, two firearm charges, and additional aggravated-murder counts involving multiple victims. The case did not proceed to a completed jury trial. Instead, on July 27, 2026, Parham appeared in Portsmouth Circuit Court and pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, resolving the central homicide charges connected to the deaths of Barnes and Jones. The Portsmouth Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office publicly announced the guilty pleas that same day.
As of August 18, 2026, Parham has been convicted by his guilty pleas but has not yet been sentenced. His sentencing is scheduled for September 9, 2026. The available reporting therefore establishes an arrest and conviction in Barnes’s killing, with Parham as the only publicly identified defendant, while the final punishment remains pending.
