In the early morning hours of May 2, 2020, 41-year-old Joe Northam of Tasley, Virginia, was found fatally shot on the floor of a garage on Brainard Street in Parksley. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Northam, known as Joey to friends and family, was born in Nassawadox and had worked as an exterminator, a golf course groundskeeper, and most recently as a Walmart stock clerk.

A Parksley resident, 30-year-old Ambrose Knox, was arrested and charged with second-degree murder and use of a firearm during the commission of a felony in connection with the shooting. Prosecutors said the dispute began over a five-dollar loss in a dice game. Witnesses described an escalating confrontation in which Northam pushed Knox multiple times and threw a beverage container, injuring Knox’s face; Knox testified he fired because he feared for his safety and believed Northam was reaching for something.

A jury ultimately acquitted Knox of the murder charge; jurors later said they felt they lacked adequate options for conviction though they believed some consequence was warranted. Does anyone have additional details about the events that night or knew Joe Northam?