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BEYOND THE VIDEO: Private Investigator Equipment Records Double Murder

The story on a Private Investigator accidently capturing a double murder during a separate surveillance was one of our most popular articles of 2017. We wanted to revisit the story on what happened and see if we could find more information to help answer some lingering questions.

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Who were the victims and how did they encounter the killer?

The victim’s names were Cadre Gray and Quinton Kelly. The morning of the shooting, both men were riding in a van with the killer, Loratio Dantzler. There was also a fourth man named Damon Harriott driving. Harriott testified the four men were driving around to different credit unions cashing phony checks.

Who was the second criminal that ran off?

The second man with Dantzler in the video is named Stephen Hayes. Dantzler had just tried to cash a check at one of the credit unions and was turned away. He then asked Harriott to pick up Hayes. Almost immediately after picking him up the van turns onto Wickham Avenue and that’s when both Dantzler and Hayes pull out their guns and announce they are robbing the men.

During the robbery, Hayes attempted to move the van away from the truck but then gave up and ran away.

What was the Private Investigator doing on the same street?

Private Investigator Jason Gilliam was hired by a Newport News shipyard compensation insurance firm to investigate if a shipyard worker was faking a disability claim.

What caused the van crash and where did the driver go?

Harriott purposely crashed the minivan into a parked truck as a means to make an escape. He got out and ran away before Dantzler and Hayes jumped out leaving the victims held at gunpoint. Harriott’s plan was actually a crucial decision because it was the crash sound which drew both Gilliam’s attention and camera to the minivan and caused a neighbor to look out the window and call 911.

What were Dantzler’s injuries by police and what happened to the officers?

Both officers shot Dantzler after he refused to drop his gun. Sgt. Brendan Bartley first encountered Dantzler and shot him twice. Master Police Officer Jamie Acree arrived next and shot him once. Dantzler spent four days in the hospital with two gun shots to the abdomen and one to the shoulder.

Prosecutors later ruled that the actions both police officers took were justified.

Where is Stephen Hayes and what happened to him?

Hayes turned himself into police on February 16th, 2016. Though he and Dantzler faced the same charges initially, the murder charge was dropped because he ran off before the shooting as the video shows. He was still charged with three counts of attempted robbery, nine gun charges and two counts of abduction.

Anything else of interest?

An expert involved in the case stated that Gilliam’s video coupled with the neighbor’s narration on the 911 recording was the most concrete evidence in a homicide case he has seen. Even Dantzler’s own defense lawyer, Joshua Goff, said it was a lot to overcome.

Sources:

Daily Press

AP News

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