On the night of August 1, 2019, the life of 18-year-old Tyree Lamar Spady was tragically cut short in a violent encounter at the Heritage Forest Apartments in Newport News, Virginia. Spady, a recent graduate of Heritage High School, was with 15-year-old Erek Wright when they were both shot multiple times. Police responded to calls of a shooting at approximately 10:21 p.m. and found the two teenagers outside. Wright was pronounced dead at the scene, while Spady was rushed to a local hospital where he succumbed to his injuries a few hours later.
The investigation into the double homicide soon focused on a then-15-year-old acquaintance and high school football teammate of Wright's, Amareon Eley. Weeks after the shooting, while being questioned by investigators about an unrelated robbery, Eley admitted to being present during the killings. According to court documents and Eley's own statements to police, the fatal incident stemmed from a dispute over a stolen gun. Eley had accused Wright of taking a gun from his locker, an accusation Wright denied. Eley then reportedly lured Wright to the apartment complex under the pretense of committing a robbery together.
Eley implicated another teenager, Anthony Santiago, telling police that the two of them had planned to rob Wright and Spady to get a firearm. The plan turned violent, and both Wright and Spady were shot multiple times. Eley claimed it was Santiago who pulled the trigger, but cell phone records placed Eley's phone in the area at the time of the murders. Further evidence revealed that within 10 minutes of the shooting, Eley had sent a text message to his friend telling him 'to hit both.' During his confession, Eley admitted to taking a BB gun from Spady's body as he lay bleeding on the ground.
Within weeks of the murders, police arrested two teenagers in connection with the crime. Eley, who was tried as an adult, faced a jury for his role in the deaths. After an initial mistrial was declared due to an issue with a juror, a subsequent trial found Amareon Eley guilty on two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of conspiracy to commit murder, one count of robbery, and one count of using a firearm in the commission of a felony. His sentencing was scheduled for February 20, 2026.
