In the early hours of February 4, 2016, a chaotic scene unfolded outside a home on Raymond Townsend Lane in Horntown, Virginia, where 22-year-old Robert Franklin Baytops IV was found suffering from a gunshot wound. Emergency services transported Baytops to Peninsula Regional Medical Center in Salisbury, Maryland, but he succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead.
The investigation into the death of the young man, a 2012 graduate of Chincoteague High School, quickly led to two
suspects. Jahad Areil Triggs, then 20, of New Church, Virginia, and Tavone Tyrell Cropper, 24, of Pocomoke City, Maryland, were arrested and charged with first-degree murder and the use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. However, in a turn of events, the charges were dropped in April 2016 after a prosecutor determined there was insufficient evidence for a conviction.
Despite the initial setback, the Accomack County Sheriff's Office and the Commonwealth's Attorney's Office continued to pursue the case. In April 2019, both Triggs and Cropper were indicted by a grand jury for the premeditated murder of Baytops.
The renewed legal proceedings revealed that the shooting stemmed from a dispute over money. On the night of the incident, Triggs and Cropper, along with a third individual who was not charged, drove from Maryland to confront Baytops. An argument ensued, during which Baytops was shot in the chest.
Ultimately, the case concluded with plea agreements. Tyvone Tyrell Cropper, identified as the triggerman, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 20 years in prison, with 11 years suspended. Jahad Ariel Triggs pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of being an accessory after the fact and received a 12-month jail sentence, with all but time served suspended.
