Marian Janyne Chapman, 27, of South Charleston, West Virginia, was fatally shot on January 15, 2019, while visiting the porch of a house in Rand, Kanawha County, where her former boyfriend Gerard Maxwell lived. Authorities identified 35-year-old Gerard Maxwell of Rand as the suspect; he was captured in Atlanta in March 2019.

Maxwell chose a bench trial. In December 2021 Judge Kenneth Ballard heard testimony and on January 6, 2022 found Maxwell guilty of first-degree murder, being a prohibited person with a firearm, and domestic battery. The court’s 85-page order concluded Maxwell willfully and intentionally shot Chapman five times with intent to kill. Maxwell had a prior manslaughter conviction; his lawyer argued Chapman fired at Maxwell first but the judge rejected that defense and Holstein said he would appeal.

Chapman’s family described relief after the verdict. Does anyone have information about Chapman’s activities in Rand that night or about witnesses who saw the encounter on the porch?