In a tragic turn of events on January 8, 2018, Matthew Dillon Jyrkinen, a 22-year-old male, was killed in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The incident, which also resulted in the death of 28-year-old Michael Allen Cain and critically injured a woman, unfolded at an apartment on Gate Tree Court. The violence erupted during what was described as a methamphetamine deal that had gone awry.
The situation escalated when a dispute arose over the weight of the drugs.
This led to a confrontation that turned deadly when gunshots were fired. When police arrived at the scene around 5 p.m., they discovered Jyrkinen and Cain deceased and the female victim with life-threatening injuries.
An investigation into the double homicide led to the arrest of four men: Dale Edward Gauvin, then 22; Steven Larry Gray, 35; Malkim Shamarr Hart, 29; and Justin Travis Rigby, 33. The suspects faced a range of serious charges, including robbery, conspiracy, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, and aggravated malicious wounding.
Further charges were later filed against the four men. Hart was charged with two counts of first-degree murder, while Gauvin, Gray, and Rigby were each charged with two counts of second-degree felony homicide. As the legal process moved forward, there were developments in the cases against the accused. In January 2019, some charges against Dale Gauvin, including homicide, were dismissed. Justin Rigby later entered a guilty plea to possession with the intent to distribute drugs and conspiracy, with other charges against him being dropped.
