In the quiet of a winter evening in Norfolk, Virginia, on January 31, 2018, events unfolded that would end the life of Clifford B. "Trae" Duty, III. That night, around 7:30 p.m., dispatchers received a call about an unresponsive man inside a residence in the 1500 block of W. Little Creek Road. When police and fire-rescue personnel arrived, they discovered the body of the 46-year-old White male.
Initially, the circumstances surrounding his death were not publicly released, but detectives immediately began investigating it as a homicide.
Clifford, born in Richmond, Virginia, was remembered as a man who loved people and was loved in return. He had a passion for bike riding, his son, and his dog, Bud. His sudden death left his family, including his son, parents, and brother, to cherish his memory.
For over a year, the investigation into his death continued. Then, in March 2019, a break in the case came when the Norfolk Police Fugitive Detectives, in conjunction with the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force, arrested a suspect. William G. Shahan, a 42-year-old Norfolk man, was taken into custody following direct indictments from a Norfolk Grand Jury. The grand jury returned true bills for first-degree murder, robbery, and two counts of using a firearm in the commission of a felony. Shahan was subsequently held in the Norfolk City Jail without bond.
