Dry Fork man walks from murder charge
A murder charge against a Dry Fork man was dismissed after evidence produced on the day a trial date was to be set convinced the court it was a clear case of self-defense.
Ka' Darrius Lee Ferrell was 29 years old when police found him in the backseat of a vehicle in Fieldale on Oct. 31, 2023.
The 911 Communications Center had received a call at approximately 4:46 p.m. that afternoon indicating someone had been shot at 505 10th St. When deputies arrived, they found Jadakuis Tysean Mitchell, 23, of Martinsville with a gunshot wound to his chest.
The Bassett Volunteer Rescue Squad responded and AirCare was called in to meet the ambulance at Sovah Health in Martinsville, but Mitchell was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital.
Henry County deputies investigated the case and two days later, Ferrell was charged with second-degree murder, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, and discharging a firearm within a dwelling. He was jailed in the Henry County Adult Detention Center under no bond.
"We were able to deduce that Mr. Ferrell was an invited guest at the home, invited by the mother of Mr. Mitchell's children, who lived there," said Henry County Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Dawn Futrell. "Mr. Mitchell arrived at the home, could not get in through the door, and was in the vicinity of a side window when he was shot."
Deputies found three shell casings in the residence and also recovered a firearm that they determined had been in the possession of Mitchell.
"Since the shell casings were all from the same caliber handgun, there was no way to tell, absent lab testing, if all had been fired by Mr. Ferrell, of if Mr. Mitchell had also fired," Futrell said.
The shell casings and the firearm were sent to the lab for comparison and Futrell said her office and Michael Nicholas, Ferrell's attorney, agreed that no trial would occur prior to the information being returned. The results arrived in early October.
"The lab determined that one shell casing matched the firearm of Mr. Mitchell," said Futrell. "It was found inside the window of the home. The other two shell casings that did not match Mr. Mitchell's handgun were found near a playpen in the same room."
Damage was found to the wall over the playpen, and that led Futrell and Nicholas to conclude that the bullet fired by Mitchell's firearm had gone through the wall.
"The determination that Mr. Mitchell had fired from inside the house, or close enough to entering the house that the shell casing from his handgun was inside, made us believe that the evidence, as it stands, would indicate Mr. Ferrell had acted in self-defense, and the charges should not go forward."
On Oct. 30, Ferrell appeared in Henry County Circuit Court where a trial date on the charges against him were to be set. All three charges against him were dismissed.
Bill Wyatt (276) 591-7543
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