In the quiet community of Hopewell, Virginia, the life of 22-year-old Treon Marquise Ellis was cut short on Sunday, December 14, 2014. A young man known to be eager to live life, his death left a void in the hearts of his family and friends. He was a father to a son and a daughter. Ellis attended Hopewell High School and was a member of Wakefield Chapel of Hopewell.
On that December morning, around 12:15 a.m., authorities were called to the 1600 block of Stewart Avenue. Behind a residence, they discovered the body of Treon Ellis. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The Hopewell Police Department launched a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death, which was determined to be a result of gun violence.
The investigation led to the arrest of 23-year-old Joseph Emmanuel Crews of Petersburg, Virginia. Described as an acquaintance of Ellis, Crews was charged with first-degree murder, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, and tampering with evidence. While an arrest was made, the motive for the shooting was not publicly released by the authorities. Crews was held at the Riverside Regional Jail without bond.
In February 2016, the case against Joseph Crews went to trial. During the proceedings, Crews did not deny shooting Ellis but claimed he was defending himself during an attempted robbery, asserting that he had acted with excessive force. After hearing the evidence, the jury reduced the charge from first-degree murder to second-degree murder. Crews was also convicted of the use of a firearm in the commission of the crime. For the second-degree murder charge, he was sentenced to seven years, and an additional three years for the firearm charge, resulting in a total sentence of ten years.
