On a summer evening in Woodbridge, Virginia, the life of 21-year-old Brian Darnell Marshall II, a Black male, was tragically cut short. On July 20, 2022, Marshall was standing on a sidewalk in the 16600 block of Georgetown Road with a 26-year-old man when violence erupted shortly before 6:45 p.m. Two men emerged from a nearby alley and began shooting at them. Marshall was struck by the gunfire and was rushed to a local hospital, where he ultimately succumbed to his injuries. The other man with him sustained a non-life-threatening gunshot wound to his hand.
The assailants, described as two males wearing dark-colored clothing, fled the scene, disappearing back through the alley. Witnesses reported seeing them get into a gold-colored SUV, possibly a Mercedes, to make their escape. The Prince William County Police Department launched an extensive investigation into the homicide. Surveillance footage from a nearby home captured the suspects, armed with a rifle and a handgun, walking through the alley before the attack and the sound of multiple gunshots. In their efforts to identify the perpetrators, the police released snippets of this footage to the public and offered a $5,000 reward for information that could lead to an arrest and conviction.
A significant break in the case came when investigators identified a 17-year-old male who was already being held at a juvenile detention center on unrelated charges. This individual, later identified as Elijah Hadley, was charged with second-degree murder and the use of a firearm while committing a felony. Evidence against Hadley included the discovery of a gun in his possession that was ballistically matched to the murder weapon, and his DNA was found on several cartridge casings recovered from the crime scene. A search of his home also uncovered clothing that matched what one of the suspects was wearing in the surveillance video.
Despite challenges in the prosecution, including uncooperative surviving victims and a witness who retracted her identification, the case against Hadley moved forward. In March 2025, a jury found the now 19-year-old Elijah Hadley guilty of first-degree murder, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, and gang participation. His sentencing was scheduled for June 5 of the same year. While one of the individuals responsible for Brian Darnell Marshall II's death has been brought to justice, the investigation remains active as authorities continue to search for the second suspect involved in the fatal shooting.
