On a summer evening in Portsmouth, Virginia, 34-year-old Curtis Richardson was sitting on a railing outside the Essex Food Store on High Street, engaged in a telephone conversation. The date was August 18, 2017, a day that would end in tragedy. A gold Volkswagen Passat with at least two people inside pulled up in front of the convenience store. The driver, later identified as Stanlee Jones, stepped out of the vehicle, leaned back in for a moment, and then walked toward Richardson, raising a
gun.
Surveillance footage captured the chilling moments as Jones aimed the firearm at Richardson. Richardson attempted to flee but collapsed just a few steps away. Medics arrived at the scene but were unable to save him; he was pronounced dead. The Portsmouth community, including a local pastor who was a relative of Richardson, was shaken by the public nature of the killing, which prosecutors would later describe as a 'cold-blooded public execution.' Richardson was remembered by his family as a good person who tried to avoid trouble.
The investigation into Richardson's death quickly pointed to Stanlee S. Jones as the primary suspect. On August 31, 2017, members of the U.S. Marshals Service apprehended the 33-year-old Jones in Newark, New Jersey. He was extradited back to Portsmouth on September 15 and taken to the city jail. Jones was subsequently charged with first-degree murder and two firearm offenses.
During the ensuing legal proceedings, the prosecution's case centered heavily on the surveillance video of the incident. In a surprising turn, Jones's defense team did not dispute that he was the shooter. Instead, they argued that the act was not premeditated murder but a measure of self-defense. The defense claimed that Richardson had a reputation for violence and had shot Jones during an attempted robbery eleven months prior to the fatal encounter. This claim added a complex layer to the case, suggesting a history of conflict between the two men. However, the presiding judge ruled that a self-defense argument could not be presented unless it was proven that Richardson posed an immediate threat to Jones on the day of the shooting.
