In the Sherwood Forest neighborhood of Norfolk, Virginia, the life of 25-year-old Jamesha Roberts, a mother of two young children, was tragically cut short on the evening of December 21, 2015. A Portsmouth native and graduate of Churchland High School, Roberts was working at the Starbucks at Norfolk International Airport to support her family, which included a two-year-old daughter and a four-month-old son.
Around 8:30 p.m., police responded to calls of gunshots in the area of Robin Hood Road and Tillman Road, where they found Roberts lying in the street with fatal gunshot wounds. She was pronounced dead at the scene. Her death marked the 33rd homicide in Norfolk that year.
The initial investigation left the community and her family searching for answers, with no immediate information released about a suspect. Family and friends gathered for a vigil, remembering her as a sweet person who wouldn't hurt anyone. The senselessness of her murder became shockingly clear as the investigation unfolded and was tied to a larger string of violent crimes that had been terrorizing the Hampton Roads area during the 2015 holiday season.
The investigation ultimately revealed that Jamesha Roberts was a random victim in a horrific competition between members of the Nine Trey Gangsters, a set of the United Blood Nation street gang. Federal investigators uncovered that her killer was Nathaniel Mitchell, a gang member who was in a contest with another member to see who could shoot the most people. Witnesses testified in court that Mitchell shot Roberts simply for 'walking on the wrong side of the street.' After the shooting, he boasted about the killing to fellow gang members.
In September 2016, Nathaniel Mitchell, also known as 'Savage,' was indicted along with three other members of the Nine Trey Gangsters for their roles in a racketeering conspiracy that included five murders, numerous attempted murders, and other violent crimes. Following a seven-week federal trial in 2018, which featured testimony from over 100 witnesses, Mitchell was convicted for his role in the violent crime spree, including the murder of Jamesha Roberts. The convictions were the result of a two-year investigation by local police and the FBI that utilized technological analysis to connect the gang members to the various crime scenes.
