On the night of February 11, 2022, Charles Jule Suter, a 40-year-old Caucasian male, was fatally shot at his home in Colliers, West Virginia. The incident was the culmination of a dispute with another man. Earlier in the day, Suter had been involved in a verbal altercation with 27-year-old Harley Allen Wayne Gill from Wellsville, reportedly over a girlfriend.
Later that same evening, at approximately 11:15 p.m., Gill returned to Suter's residence on Shreves Lane. He first fired a shot into the floor at the door before shooting Suter when he appeared. There were other individuals present inside the home at the time of the shooting, but they were not physically harmed. After the shooting, Gill allegedly fired shots over the heads of three other people at the home.
Following the incident, Gill fled the scene and was apprehended in Columbiana County, Ohio, the next morning.
He was subsequently extradited to Brooke County, West Virginia, where he was charged with first-degree murder. In addition to the murder charge, Gill was also indicted on three counts of wanton endangerment for firing his weapon towards the other individuals at Suter's home, as well as on charges of attempted burglary and being a person prohibited from possessing a firearm due to a prior felony drug conviction. A few days after the fatal shooting, Suter's mobile home was destroyed in a fire, though investigators had already completed their work at the crime scene.
Harley Allen Wayne Gill was held without bond at the Northern Regional Jail. He later entered a guilty plea to second-degree murder. Due to his prior felony convictions, the prosecutor was able to seek a life sentence. Gill was subsequently sentenced to life in prison for the murder of Charles Suter, with the possibility of parole after 15 years. As part of the plea agreement, the charges of wanton endangerment were dismissed. The victim's mother was reported to be in support of the plea deal.
