Annie May Rita Smith, a 65-year-old woman, was fatally shot on December 13, 2021, in a tragic act of violence that occurred at a Harris Teeter gas station in the Haygood Shopping Center in Virginia Beach, Virginia. She and her husband of 46 years, Steven John Smith, had just finished visiting family and were stopping for gas when the events that led to her death unfolded.
As Steven Smith was pumping gas, two brothers, Darrius Cornell White and Michael Javonte Demonde White, pulled up in
a stolen vehicle. Michael White, with his face covered by a bandana, exited the car and robbed Steven Smith at gunpoint. After returning to the vehicle, he approached Mr. Smith again, demanding more. When Mr. Smith stated he had given them everything, Darrius White took the gun, exited the driver's seat, and approached the couple, demanding property from Annie Smith. Darrius White then shot her three times in the chest. The brothers fled the scene, taking a firearm that belonged to Annie Smith.
The investigation that followed led police to the stolen vehicle, where they found fingerprints belonging to both brothers. Shortly after the murder, on December 15, 2021, Darrius and Michael White went to Chesapeake General Hospital, claiming to be suicidal. During interviews with Virginia Beach police, both brothers confessed to their roles in the robbery and murder of Annie Smith.
Darrius White, who was 25 at the time of sentencing, faced trial for his actions. Although his initial trial in May 2023 ended in a mistrial, a subsequent jury found him guilty of aggravated murder, two counts of robbery causing death, and three counts of using a firearm in the commission of a felony. On April 30, 2024, a judge sentenced him to three life terms in prison, one of which is without the possibility of parole, plus an additional 13 years.
Michael White, who was 31 at the time of his sentencing, pleaded guilty to charges of first-degree murder, robbery causing death, use of a firearm, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Under a plea agreement, he was sentenced to 50 years in prison. During the legal proceedings, it was also revealed that the brothers were suspects in another murder that occurred the day after Annie Smith was killed.
