In the summer of 2022, the life of 37-year-old Charkela YaVette Branch was tragically cut short. On the evening of July 25th, police in Portsmouth, Virginia, were called to the 10th block of Jenkins Place, where they discovered a scene of violence. Branch and a man had both sustained serious injuries in a shooting. Both victims were quickly transported to a local hospital for medical attention. Despite the efforts of medical personnel, Charkela Branch succumbed to her injuries and passed away.
The investigation into the shooting led to the identification of a suspect, Jamar Lafonz Hilliard. Following a three-day trial that concluded on October 4, 2023, a jury found Hilliard responsible for Branch's death. He was convicted of voluntary manslaughter and maliciously shooting into an occupied dwelling. In a separate trial, Hilliard was also found guilty of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
On March 22, 2024, Jamar Lafonz Hilliard was sentenced for his crimes. For the voluntary manslaughter charge, he received a sentence of 10 years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised probation upon his release. For maliciously shooting into an occupied dwelling, he was sentenced to 10 years, with seven of those years suspended, and will also have to complete five years of supervised probation for this charge. Additionally, Hilliard received a three-year sentence with two years suspended for the firearm possession charge, which includes two years of supervised probation. In total, he was sentenced to serve 14 years in prison for his role in the death of Charkela Branch.
