In the autumn of 2018, the city of Roanoke, Virginia, was rocked by a violent act that claimed the lives of two men. On the evening of October 30th, police responded to a call concerning shots fired in the 600 block of Hanover Avenue NW. Inside a home, they discovered the bodies of 42-year-old Jacob E. Sallah and 37-year-old Travis J. Turnage. Both men, residents of the area, had been fatally shot. Sallah was a Black male.
The investigation into the double homicide moved swiftly.
By the following morning, detectives had identified a suspect, 30-year-old Dominic S. Townes of Roanoke. He was located and taken into custody in the 1000 block of Hunt Avenue NW without incident. Townes was subsequently charged with two counts of second-degree murder in connection with the deaths of Sallah and Turnage.
The case proceeded through the legal system, culminating in a trial where the evidence against Townes was presented. In July of 2019, a jury found Dominic S. Townes guilty on both counts of second-degree murder. Following the conviction, the jury recommended a significant prison sentence of 34 years for the murders, with additional time for related firearm charges.
