Keith Bryant is accused of killing 19-year-old Nate Evans. Bryant's lawyers claim they have the wrong person and that the suspect is testifying at Bryant's trial.
NORFOLK, Va. — The murder trial of a man accused of killing a William & Mary football player in 2019 is underway in Norfolk.
Nate Evans was 19 years old when he was shot and killed outside an off-campus house party at Old Dominion University. Evans, a running back on the team, was shot four times, including one that struck him twice in the back, investigators said.
RELATED: Investigator: William and Mary student murder happened after arranging drug deal
Five years later, Keith Bryant will face a jury charged with first-degree murder and gun charges. He pleaded not guilty.
But the prosecution and defense have two very different stories about what happened that night.
Norfolk police arrested Krishaun Beamon shortly after the shooting and charged him with second-degree murder.
The federation claims Beamon's friend Keith Bryant actually pulled the trigger. Bryant's lawyer claims it was Beamon himself.
The jury heard emotional testimony from a childhood friend who was with Evans the night he died.
He said he and Evans drove to meet Beamon, also known as “Pocket,” at a house party on 43rd Street in Norfolk to sell him a pound of marijuana. Witnesses said neither man was armed.
Evans' friend said he knew something was wrong the moment “Pocket” got into the car.
Before paying, Beamon fled the car with the marijuana inside, friends said, and Evans gave chase. Several neighbors reported hearing three to four gunshots. A friend of Evans remembers hearing someone yell, “No one fucks with pockets, you son of a bitch,” as the gunshots rang out. His friend recalled seeing a “tall African-American man” watching the transaction.
He said he ran and hid and eventually found Evans' body lying on the sidewalk.
Beamon testified against his childhood friend on Tuesday. He said he and Bryant arrived at the party together from separate parties in Portsmouth. Mr. Beamon asked Mr. Bryant, who claimed he was armed, to watch the transaction, he said. Mr. Beamon also said that from his perspective, the interaction felt “uncomfortable.”
Beamon said he only wants to spend $500 to $800. But Evans' friends said the asking price was more than $1,000.
Beamon claims he fled the vehicle, leaving behind the marijuana. After shots rang out, Beamon claims he saw Bryant jump into Beamon's Ford Fusion and drive away.
Another witness said he saw someone “fearful” jump in a car, get back into another car, turn off the headlights and drive away.
Bryant's attorneys, James Broccoletti and Mario Lorello, said Beamon has been in custody since 2019 but has not mentioned Bryant by name until 2022.
Mr. Beamon was denied bail multiple times, but was eventually granted it after he denounced Mr. Bryant. They argue that Beamon did not suddenly experience an “epiphany” but rather wanted to reduce his chances of a life sentence.
Bryant's lawyers also called the police response after the shooting “troubling.”
They claim Beamon's initial interview with police in 2019 was “lost” and that the lead detective did not write notes of the interview until this year. They also claim that the lead detective in the case is the aunt of the former student who threw the house party. They say no one saw the original statement Beamon made.
Lawyers also said the gun used that night was found in a Suffolk car occupied by eight people who were not believed to be connected to the shooting. They claim police did not question the people inside the car. Mr. Broccoletti also claimed that police did not interview the man who was caught driving Mr. Beamon's car several days later.
The Commonwealth said there is no DNA evidence in the case, but multiple cell phone records show Bryant attended a party that night.
His attorney, Gordon Eufkes, said Bryant told investigators he was not at the scene because he was at his mother's home. The federal government said there were many people who “heard something but saw nothing” that night.
Wednesday begins with defense cross-examination of Beamon. The jury will also hear from detectives and agents from the FBI Cell Analysis Investigation Team about the case.
Beamon is still awaiting his own trial in the case. If convicted of second-degree murder and robbery, he could be sentenced to life in prison plus 48 years.
