On the evening of April 9, 2018, in Lynchburg, Virginia, a 33-year-old Black male named Jamale Deshawn Pannell was found lying on the ground on Madison Street with multiple gunshot wounds. Lynchburg Police had responded to a call about shots fired in the area just after 6 p.m. Despite the arrival of medics, Pannell succumbed to his injuries at the scene. The investigation into his death led police to a suspect that same night.
Witnesses at the scene reported seeing 18-year-old Rodney O'Shawn Spinner, II, standing over Pannell's body and firing shots before fleeing with a backpack. A K-9 unit was deployed and successfully located Spinner hiding under a stairway two blocks from the crime scene. Near him, authorities discovered a loaded. 40 caliber pistol, marijuana, and $600 in cash. Subsequent investigation revealed text messages between Pannell and Spinner, which indicated they had arranged to meet for a drug transaction; Spinner was to sell marijuana to Pannell for $600 at the location where Pannell's body was later found. Ballistic testing confirmed that the bullets and shell casings recovered from the scene matched the firearm found in Spinner's possession.
Initially charged with second-degree murder, Rodney O'Shawn Spinner, II, later pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and the use of a firearm in the commission of a felony in August 2019. As part of a plea agreement, additional charges of robbery and use of a firearm in the commission of a robbery were dismissed. Spinner was sentenced to a total of 63 years in prison, with 33 years suspended. He will serve 30 years of active time in prison. Pannell's family expressed their disappointment with the sentence, feeling that justice had not been fully served for the loss of their loved one, who was a father of three.
