David Jacob Jake Heater, 21, was found dead at the Pleasant Creek Wildlife Management Area public shooting range near Philippi, West Virginia, on January 3, 2022. He had suffered a fatal gunshot wound and investigators treated the death as a homicide.

Authorities focused on 19-year-old Stoane Mason Binegar of Blacksville, Monongalia County, after social media activity placed him and Heater together through the night and into the early morning when Heater’s body was discovered. While already jailed on unrelated charges, Binegar was questioned by the West Virginia State Police and reportedly confessed, saying the two had been at the range and that Binegar raised a gun and shot Heater as they were leaving. Investigators described the killing as senseless and without an established motive.

Binegar was charged with first-degree murder. The firearm believed to have been used, described as a stolen gun and later sold, was recovered and is being held as evidence. Did anyone who knew Heater or who was at the area that night see them together or notice anything unusual?