In the early hours of March 1, 2016, a concerned citizen's call to emergency services about a suspicious vehicle speeding into Pleasant Hill Cemetery in Suffolk, Virginia, led to a grim discovery. Responding officers found the body of Wayne Anthony Watford, a 42-year-old male, at approximately 1:31 a.m. Suffolk Fire & Rescue personnel arrived at the scene and pronounced him deceased.
The initial 'undetermined death' investigation was quickly reclassified as a homicide after the Medical Examiner's Office confirmed that Watford had sustained gunshot wounds to his torso.
The Suffolk Police Department's intensive investigation into the death of Wayne Anthony Watford, of the 1600 block of Nansemond Parkway, swiftly identified a suspect. Just days later, on March 4, 2016, authorities announced they were seeking 18-year-old Karlton L. Boone, Jr. in connection with the murder. Warrants were issued for Boone, a resident of the 400 block of Carolina Road, on a slew of serious charges, including first-degree murder, shooting with intent to maim or kill, shooting during the commission of a felony, use or display of a firearm in committing a felony, and possession of a firearm by a violent felon. Boone was described as a Black male, 5'6' tall, weighing 150 pounds, with brown eyes and black hair.
Following a month-long manhunt, the U.S. Marshals Service apprehended Karlton L. Boone, Jr. in Atlanta, Georgia. He was taken into custody without incident at an apartment in the 700 block of McDaniel Street, SW. Boone, who was about to turn 19, was held at the Fulton County Jail as he awaited extradition back to Suffolk to face the charges related to the death of Wayne Anthony Watford.
