In the quiet community of Axton, Virginia, on March 15, 2015, the life of 55-year-old Curtis Daniel 'Duke' Pritchett was tragically cut short. A Black / African American male, Pritchett was found shot in his backyard on Price Hairston Lane in the early afternoon. He was rushed to the Memorial Hospital of Martinsville and Henry County, but he was pronounced dead upon arrival. The events leading to his death began with a heated argument, a dispute that would ultimately escalate to fatal violence.
The investigation into the shooting quickly pointed to two brothers, Dwayne Lamont Lampkins and Avery Martez Lampkins. Authorities learned that Pritchett had been in a confrontation with the two men just before the shooting. In the wake of the incident, law enforcement launched a search for the Lampkins brothers. The day after the shooting, Avery Lampkins turned himself in to the authorities. His brother, Dwayne, also known as 'Weed,' was apprehended on April 2, 2015.
Both brothers faced serious charges, including first-degree murder, use of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The case against them was built on the altercation that preceded the deadly shooting. But the investigation didn't stop with the Lampkins brothers. The web of individuals allegedly involved in the aftermath of the murder expanded as several others were arrested and charged as accessories after the fact to first-degree murder. This group included Kevin Preston, Albert Patrick Bowman, Telvin Oshea Hairston, Kierra Rishena Phillips, and Nicholas Laffeanio Gallant.
