In the late evening hours of May 21, 2017, the sound of gunshots shattered the peace in the 1100 block of East Ocean View Avenue in Norfolk, Virginia. When police arrived at the scene around 9:00 p.m., they discovered 23-year-old Richard Eyerman, a White / Caucasian male, suffering from gunshot wounds. Paramedics pronounced him deceased at the scene, turning a pleasant Sunday evening into a tragedy for the Norfolk resident.
The investigation into Eyerman's death led authorities to two
individuals. In June of 2017, police arrested 22-year-old Jamal Branch in connection with the shooting. He was charged with second-degree murder and the use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. The search for justice did not end there, as the investigation continued to identify others involved in the fatal shooting.
Several months later, in September 2017, a second suspect was apprehended. The Norfolk fugitive squad, in conjunction with U.S. Marshals, located and arrested 22-year-old Tiara Deanne Rivera at a hotel in Virginia Beach. She faced the same charges as Branch: second-degree murder and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. While Rivera was initially charged with murder, her case took a different turn through the legal process. In a development that highlights the complexities of criminal proceedings, Rivera's second-degree murder charges were ultimately dropped when she accepted a plea deal for lesser charges.
