Antwan LaMontah George Rucker, a 35-year-old Black man, was found deceased on November 9, 2013, in the parking lot of the Innkeeper motel on Piney Forest Road in Danville, Virginia. An investigation by the Danville Police Department determined that he had been fatally shot in what was ruled a homicide. Rucker, a resident of Lynchburg, Virginia, was discovered in his Mercedes. He was a respected member of his community, working as a counselor for the City of Lynchburg and was an active member of the Greater Peaceful Zion Baptist Church.
The investigation into his death continued for several years. In June 2016, authorities arrested a 24-year-old Danville woman named Sharika Murphy. She was charged with first-degree murder, three counts of robbery, and using a firearm in the commission of a felony in connection with Rucker's death.
Later, another suspect, Pierre Antoine Dixon of Danville, was also charged. Prosecutors stated that Rucker had been lured to the motel where he was subsequently robbed and killed. In November 2018, following a four-day trial, a jury convicted Dixon of first-degree murder, robbery, and two counts of use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. In February 2019, Dixon was sentenced to life in prison plus an additional 26 years.
