Trial Updates: Murder Cases, Bank Robberies and More

By Sam Thrift Monday, September 26, 2011

Here is an update on various court cases in the Historic Triangle.

Murder
Russell murder
James City County Police arrested and charged 27-year-old Stephanie Nicole Bozarth of Judy Drive in James City County Sept. 2 with the murder of Tabitha Russell.

Russell, 27, died from a stab wound to the throat after a physical altercation with Bozarth on August 26 at the Windy Hill Trailer Park on Judy Drive.

Bozarth is charged with first degree murder and will see her first day in court Oct. 13 in Williamsburg.

To find out details on the case, click here.

Hickey murder
York County sheriff's investigators arrested MacCoy Johnson, a 43-year-old Newport News man, for the murder of Felice Hickey, a 39-year-old York County woman.

Hickey’s son found her stabbed in her apartment on Arcadia Loop in York County on June 9. Medic units arrived and pronounced her dead at the scene.

York County Commonwealth’s Attorney Eileen Addison presented the evidence the commonwealth has against Johnson Sept. 14 in York County General District Court. Click here to read more about that evidence.

Judge Michael McGinty certified the case to the grand jury, and a grand jury decided there was sufficient evidence to charge Johnson with first degree murder and grand larceny. He is set for a jury trial in York County on Jan. 18, 2012.

Trevillian murder
There are still no arrests in the murder of 48-year-old Kuan-Yu Trevillian, who lived in the Springhill neighborhood in James City County.

Reported missing the night before, deputies discovered Trevillian’s body around 8:15 a.m. July 10 after a passerby called police to report what appeared to be a body in some tall grass off the roadway of the residential area.

Sgt. Dennis Ivey, Jr. of the York-Poquoson Sheriff’s Department confirmed that investigators carried out a search warrant around midnight on July 12 at Trevillian’s Springhill home. Ivey said that he could not release what investigators were looking for or what, if anything, was found.

As of last week, Ivey said there is no new information on the case.

Robbery
Goodman and Sons robbery
Eric Roach, a 40-year-old Philadelphia man, was arrested after robbing the Goodman and Sons jewelry store in James City County July 26. The robbery led to a police chase and shootout that ended with the death of one suspect and arrest of Roach, who’d escaped the initial manhunt.

Roach was found two days after the robbery after he had bailed from the getaway car on Technology Drive in Henrico during the chase, according to Lt. Eric Owens of the Henrico County Police Department.

Roach pleaded not guilty to robbery of a residence, abduction by force, two counts of firearm use during a felony and possession of a weapon by a convicted felon. He will be tried in Williamsburg Nov. 9.

Click here to read more about the robbery.

Chesapeake Bank and Citizens and Farmers Bank robberies
Three York County men and a juvenile who are suspected of robbing two Williamsburg banks in April are going to stand trial within the next two months.

The three suspects, 27-year-old Noah Christopher Evans, 40-year-old Victor Jerrell Smith and 18-year-old Delamon Rahkeem Jones, were arrested in Gloucester in early May after deputies observed the men "acting suspiciously" on a weekday afternoon near the EVB Bank in Gloucester.

To read more about the robberies, click here.

Jones and Evans pleaded not guilty to entering a bank armed to commit larceny, four counts of use of a firearm in felony and abduction with the intent to extort money. They’re set for trial in Williamsburg on Nov. 2.

Smith faces the same charges, but has yet to be arraigned because of limited discussions with his lawyer after being moved to different facilities multiple times. The suspect was set to stand trial in a federal court in Newport News in early September, but the charges were dropped. He will be arraigned in Williamsburg on Oct. 6.

Other cases
Drunk driving results in fatal accident
Since November of last year, Norfolk resident Anna Grace Stuckey has faced charges resulting from a single-vehicle accident in December 2009 that left 25-year-old Zachery Romena, a Norfolk-based sailor, dead.

After multiple continued court appearances, Stuckey is scheduled for trial on Oct. 5 on charges of reckless driving involving DUI manslaughter, involuntary manslaughter, first offense of driving while intoxicated, reckless driving, driving too fast for highway conditions and purchasing alcohol for someone under the age of 21.

Fatal accident during DMV road test
Williamsburg Police charged 36-year-old Diep Thi Ngoc Le of James City County with reckless driving Sept. 20 for a fatal accident that occurred while she was taking a driving test for the Department of Motor Vehicles July 14.

DMV employee Shirley Martin, a 56-year-old Newport News resident, died during the single-car accident while conducting Le’s road skills test.

Le is scheduled to be in court Sept. 27 in Williamsburg.