In the late hours of a summer night in Accomack County, Virginia, a young man's life was tragically cut short over a dispute involving a small amount of marijuana. Nineteen-year-old Nathanial Adam Ayres, a male from Nelsonia, was fatally shot on August 12, 2016, near the intersection of Nocks Landing Road and Greta Road in the vicinity of Atlantic.
The events of that night unfolded after Ayres and two friends, Noah Mackey and Jeremiah Thompson, arranged to meet Zachary Isaiah Townsend to purchase marijuana.
Ayres drove his white Dodge pickup truck, with his friends in the back seat, to the agreed-upon location near a vacant two-story house. Just before midnight, Townsend, who was 17 at the time, approached the vehicle and got into the front passenger seat. He showed Ayres a bag, purportedly containing marijuana. Ayres suspected the substance was not what he intended to buy, questioning if it was 'spice.' This led to an argument, during which Townsend pulled out a black revolver and pointed it at Ayres' face, demanding money. When Ayres pushed the hand holding the gun away, Townsend shot him.
The violence did not end there. As Ayres attempted to escape from the driver's side of the truck, Townsend pursued him around the front of the vehicle, demanding money and shooting him again. An autopsy later revealed that Ayres had been shot six times at close range, with gunshot wounds to his head, neck, and torso. The revolver used in the murder was never recovered.
The investigation into Ayres' death led to the arrest of Zachary Isaiah Townsend. Despite being a juvenile at the time of the offense, the Accomack County Commonwealth's Attorney's office made the decision to try him as an adult. In September 2017, an Accomack County jury, after deliberating for only 35 minutes, found Townsend guilty of second-degree murder, robbery, and two firearm offenses. Due to his age when the crime was committed, the sentencing was determined by a judge rather than the jury. In July of the following year, Townsend was sentenced to 48 years in prison for his role in the death of Nathanial Ayres.
