In the early hours of a Saturday morning in Lynchburg, Virginia, the life of 33-year-old Andra Eugene Watson was tragically cut short. On April 28, 2018, at approximately 2:30 a.m., officers responded to the 1100 block of 18th Street to find Watson lying in the road with a gunshot wound to his head. Despite lifesaving efforts by the police, he succumbed to his injuries.
A woman was also discovered at the scene, having also been shot in the head.
Andra Watson was remembered by his father, Bobbie Watson Sr., as a great man and a good father to his two children who didn't bother anyone. His family and friends mourned their loss, holding his funeral service on May 5, 2018, at Holcomb Rock Baptist Church. In the days following the shooting, the community was left seeking answers as no immediate arrests were made. The Lynchburg Police Department actively investigated the case, which was one of three homicides in that part of the Diamond Hill neighborhood that year.
Months later, a breakthrough in the investigation brought some measure of hope for justice to Watson's grieving family. On July 20, 2018, Lynchburg police arrested 32-year-old Troy Beasley in connection with the shooting. Beasley was taken into custody without incident and faced several charges, including second-degree murder and aggravated malicious wounding. He was held in jail without bond. The trial for Troy Beasley began in December 2019, where jurors were presented with the details of the night that ended Andra Watson's life.
