On the cold evening of December 14, 2021, the life of 17-year-old Justice Michael Dunham of Newport News, Virginia, was tragically cut short. Just a week after his birthday, the Woodside High School junior and varsity football player was fatally wounded by a single gunshot to the chest. The incident occurred in the parking lot of Menchville High School, minutes after a basketball game had concluded.
Friends and family remembered Justice as a young man with an infectious smile and spunky energy, a loyal friend, and a dedicated athlete who was a fearless trailblazer on the football field.
The investigation into the shooting quickly led to the arrest of 18-year-old Demari Batten, a student at Warwick High School. Batten was charged with second-degree murder, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, and shooting a firearm on school grounds. According to court documents and his own testimony, Batten claimed he acted in self-defense. He stated that a group of individuals, including Dunham, attacked him as he sat in his car, and fearing for his safety, he retrieved a handgun and fired, striking Justice. Prosecutors, however, argued that Batten's use of a firearm was an excessive and unjustified use of force.
The legal proceedings that followed were fraught with emotion for the community and the families involved. In October 2022, a jury could not reach a unanimous verdict on the second-degree murder charge against Batten, resulting in a mistrial for that count. However, the jury did convict him on three firearm charges. A retrial on the homicide charge was scheduled.
In January 2024, a Newport News jury deliberated for about an hour before finding Demari Batten not guilty of voluntary manslaughter in his retrial. His defense attorney maintained that Batten was attacked by a 'mob' and acted in self-defense, while the prosecution asserted that he was not justified in using deadly force. The not-guilty verdict brought a close to the legal case, leaving a community to mourn the loss of a promising young life and grapple with the devastating consequences of gun violence. Justice's family continues to honor his memory, remembering him as a beloved son, brother, and friend.
