On October 9, 2016, 70-year-old Donald Burrell, a Black/African American man, was found dead at his Somerville Drive home in Hampton, Virginia after police responded to a welfare check. An autopsy determined he had been shot between 13 and 15 times in the upper body.

Investigators quickly focused on a close family member. Authorities arrested Burrell’s 35-year-old son, Joel Aaron Burrell, charging him with second-degree murder and the use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. Neighbors described the elder Burrell as a kind, helpful man and a proud, loving father.

The prosecution’s attempts to try the case encountered delays: the first trial ended in September 2018 after a mandatory evacuation for a hurricane, and a second trial in March 2019 also failed to produce a verdict. Charges were refiled after each mistrial.

Did anyone in Hampton know Donald or his family and notice anything unusual in the months before October 2016?