On Christmas morning in 2020, the body of 26-year-old Brianna Barbie Elizabeth Stevens was discovered outside of her apartment building on Bennett Drive Northwest in Roanoke, Virginia. An investigation revealed that the young Black female had been fatally shot in the back of the head. Initially, the Roanoke Police Department had few leads, as no witnesses reported hearing or seeing anything unusual around 8 a.m.
when her body was found.
Through their investigation, authorities identified a suspect, 20-year-old Tashaun Dixon of Roanoke. In April 2021, a grand jury indicted Dixon for the murder of Stevens. He was subsequently arrested and charged with first-degree murder and the use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. The arrest brought a sense of hope for justice to Brianna's grieving family and community.
In addition to the charges related to Stevens' death, Dixon also faced charges for a separate shooting incident that occurred on Queen Avenue, which resulted in serious injuries to two other individuals. In a turn of events, on March 31, 2022, Tashaun Dixon pleaded no contest to the charges of first-degree murder and the use of a firearm in the commission of murder in connection with Brianna Stevens' death. Following his plea, he was sentenced to serve 30 years in prison. The charges related to the other shooting were ultimately dropped.
