In the pre-dawn hours of January 30, 2020, a 911 call for a breaking and entering on Bel-Mer Way in Kilmarnock, Virginia led officers to a residence where 25-year-old James T. Walters, known as JT Walters, had suffered fatal gunshot wounds. Walters, a Black man from Lancaster, was found at the scene and died despite emergency treatment. Investigators determined Walters was not a stranger to those inside the home, a detail that has been central to the inquiry.

On November 23, 2020 the Lancaster County Commonwealth’s Attorney requested a Special Grand Jury to examine the circumstances of Walters’s death; a judge ordered the panel to consider whether probable cause existed to issue indictments. Information about the Grand Jury’s findings or any arrests has been limited as the community awaits further developments. If anyone has information about JT Walters or the events on Bel-Mer Way that morning, please come forward.