Murder on middle beach recording police trial#

Pearson’s actions in those cases are what led the case’s then prosecutor, Brandon Wrobleski, to contend that Pearson was a “danger to the community.” He asked Spencer to revoke Pearson’s prior bond and jail him pending trial.

Murder on middle beach recording police trial#

Though he was sentenced to six years, he has a projected release date of September 2026 after accounting for good time credits.īut as the murder trial was pending in early 2021, prosecutors asked for - and received - dozens of pages of internal affairs documents from the Newport News Police Department pertaining to two past misconduct cases against Pearson. Pearson was convicted of manslaughter and related charges in September 2022. Pearson shot Berry during a struggle over a Taser after officers barged into his home without a warrant to arrest him on a charge of abusing the city’s 911 system. Pearson was charged with second-degree murder in the killing of Henry K. Jessica Schieffer/Provided to Daily PressHenry Kistler “Hank” Berry III was shot and killed by police in a home on Nantucket Place on Dec. She also could strike a middle path of releasing the documents but redacting the names of the officers who gave statements. While the Daily Press and Pilot want Spencer to release the motion to revoke bond and the related personnel records, the city wants her to keep everything sealed. The decision on whether to release the documents is now in the hands of Circuit Court Judge Margaret Poles Spencer, a retired Richmond judge who has presided over the Pearson case for three years. “And literally the (city’s) argument is that the only way you can trust a police officer you’re working with is if you believe that person will not be a snitch.” “The city is accepting … that police officers are by nature going to protect themselves and not give truthful information,” Spain said. Moreover, Spain said the city is accepting the idea of a “blue wall of police secrecy and loyalty,” rather than instilling a culture where the “blue wall is eliminated,” and officers who turn in their colleagues know they will be protected. Spain said the city should not be promising confidentiality to the officers in the first place, given that there are several ways under existing city policy that such statements can be released. “It’s about monitoring its government … By getting access to the materials and hearings that occur, the public can make its own evaluation as to whether they agree with the decision, and if they don’t, they can voice their disagreement.” “This goes to the core issue here: What is the public rights access really all about?” said Spain, from the Norfolk law firm of Willcox & Savage. Would allow the public and press to decide for themselves whether Pearson was protected by his fellow officers in the past cases - as was suggested by the prosecutor who sought to revoke his bond in 2021. Pearson was charged with second-degree murder and other charges in the death of Henry “Hank” Berry III in late 2019. Newport News Sheriff's Office/Daily PressNewport News Police Sgt. I’ve gone to great lengths to prevent that from happening.E-Pilot Evening Edition Home Page Close Menu “My greatest fear is this is going to be exploitative. “I think they all understand that we all have the same goal. I’ve been showing my family members and telling them what’s in the documentary, giving them a head’s up before it’s broadcast - and nobody’s had a notably adverse reaction. “I didn’t understand when I started this it was this seven-year- going on eight-year-long double life! It’s been incredibly nerve-wracking. How did it feel for years to be recording and investigating, sometimes secretly, his immediate and extended family? In 2016, Madison returned to the investigation with a grant for a five-person investigative team. “Digging into her past and what happened to her, I’ve grown closer in understanding who she was and in a roundabout way finding my own identity through that.” Those conflicts really shaped who she was as a human being.

“Like, as a kid, she was always a superhero, protecting me from the stresses of her life. And part of starting to ask questions revealed this other person that I didn’t know: my mom as a human being. “I didn’t know if I’d find the killer but I was dealing with a lot of grief at the time.