In the quiet, rural community of Crockett, Virginia, the discovery of a vehicle engulfed in flames on January 13, 2023, unraveled a grim and violent story. First responders were dispatched to the 400 block of Saint Paul Church Road after reports of a fire. Upon extinguishing the blaze, they made a harrowing find inside the vehicle: the remains of 59-year-old Ronnie Lee Akers, a male resident of the same road.
The investigation into the fire quickly turned into a homicide case.
Authorities determined that Akers had been shot before the fire was set. The Wythe County Sheriff's Office identified Calvin Junior Duncan II, then 33 years old, as a suspect in the case. Duncan was subsequently arrested and faced a litany of serious charges: first-degree murder, arson, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, and improper disposal of a dead body.
Further details emerged, suggesting a chilling sequence of events on the night of the murder. One account indicates there was no audible argument before Akers was shot multiple times at close range. Following the shooting, his body was reportedly wrapped, dragged outside, and placed in his own truck, which was then set on fire in an attempt to conceal the crime.
In October 2024, nearly two years after the incident, Calvin Junior Duncan II entered a plea of no contest to the charges against him. By doing so, he acknowledged that the prosecution had sufficient evidence for a conviction without formally admitting guilt. On January 16, 2025, a judge sentenced Duncan to 44 years and one month in prison for his role in the death of Ronnie Lee Akers. He was then transferred to the Nottoway Correctional Center to serve his sentence.
