John Andrew Rathjen, a 28-year-old male, was a resident of Virginia Beach, Virginia, who tragically lost his life on June 10, 2017. A kind and gentle soul, he was remembered by friends and family for his sense of humor and his readiness to help others. Born on March 4, 1989, in Norfolk, Virginia, he attended several local schools and was a father to two daughters. On that fateful evening in June, Rathjen and his 23-year-old roommate, Rayvone Sharome Miles, were found deceased in their home on Archives Court.
The initial investigation by Virginia Beach police was deemed a 'suspicious' death investigation. It was later revealed that both Rathjen and Miles had been shot multiple times during what authorities described as a robbery. The crime was part of a larger spree, with one of the suspects allegedly involved in another robbery earlier the same day. The tragic event left a community in shock and a family mourning the loss of a beloved son, father, and friend.
In the wake of the double homicide, an investigation led to the apprehension of two suspects: James Cole Gregory and Leonard Allen Morrison III. Both men were charged with two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of robbery, and four counts of the use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. The arrests brought a sense of progress in the quest for justice for Rathjen and Miles.
During the trial of Leonard Morrison, prosecutors laid out their case, alleging that Morrison had driven his co-defendant, James Gregory, to Rathjen's home with the initial intent to sell him Xanax. The prosecution claimed that Gregory shot both Rathjen and Miles multiple times before Morrison fired the final, fatal shots to their heads. The defense, however, argued that there was a lack of physical evidence, such as DNA, to directly connect Morrison to the shootings and questioned who was responsible for firing the fatal shots. Morrison faced additional accusations of being involved in a police shootout in Hampton just two days after the murders in Virginia Beach.
