On the evening of October 10, 2020, events unfolded in the 3100 block of Chesapeake Boulevard in Norfolk, Virginia, that would end the life of 35-year-old Michael Carnell Perry. A Black male, Perry was discovered inside a vehicle after police initially responded to a report of a car crash around 6 p.m. It was quickly apparent that a collision was not the primary incident; Perry was suffering from a gunshot wound. He was rushed to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, but his injuries, which included a tear to his aorta and a collapsed lung, proved fatal.
The investigation into Perry's death led authorities to 28-year-old Raphael Jamal Cuffee. It was determined that Perry and Cuffee, who were acquaintances, had arranged to meet. The two men, each in their own vehicle, parked with their driver's side windows aligned to speak. During this encounter, Cuffee, who was in a Nissan, fired into Perry's Mercedes Benz, striking him in the chest, left arm, and left hand. After the shooting, Perry's vehicle rolled forward and crashed into another car.
Four days after the fatal shooting, Norfolk Police located Cuffee driving his Nissan and found him in possession of a. 45 caliber handgun. During the investigation, it was alleged that the meeting between the two men was to divide the proceeds from a robbery they had reportedly committed together. Cuffee confessed to shooting Perry, claiming he was fearful, although he admitted he had not seen a weapon on Perry, and none was found in Perry's vehicle. He also admitted to having another individual clean his car and dispose of the murder weapon.
Raphael Cuffee was arrested and charged with second-degree murder and the use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. On August 23, 2022, he pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, use of a firearm in the commission of murder, and possession of a firearm by a previously convicted violent felon. On November 4, 2022, Cuffee was sentenced to serve 18 active years in prison. His sentence was broken down into 10 years for second-degree murder, three years for the use of a firearm, and five years for the possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
