In the early morning hours of a late August Sunday in Suffolk, Virginia, the life of 24-year-old Delyna Alissea Hall, a mother and aspiring nurse, was tragically cut short. On August 28, 2022, Suffolk Police responded to a call of shots fired at a residence on Nansemond Parkway just before 5:00 a.m. Inside, they discovered Ms. Hall, who had been fatally shot.
The ensuing investigation quickly identified a suspect: Ms. Hall's 31-year-old ex-boyfriend, John Dontrel Harris.
According to Suffolk's Police Chief, Harris had unlawfully entered Delyna's home and was lying in wait for her. When she returned from a night out with a friend, Harris confronted them. The encounter turned violent, with Harris allegedly shooting Ms. Hall multiple times. Her friend was also reportedly stabbed during the attack but survived. The police chief described the crime as an act of domestic violence.
In the days following the incident, a manhunt was launched for John Dontrel Harris, who was considered armed and dangerous. He was charged with second-degree murder, armed burglary, malicious wounding, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and malicious shooting with intent to kill. The search concluded on August 30, 2022, when Harris turned himself in at the Suffolk Police Headquarters. He was subsequently transported to the Western Tidewater Regional Jail, where he was held without bond. At the time of his arrest, the investigation into the death of Delyna Alissea Hall was ongoing.
