19-year-old sentenced to over 40 years for deadly shooting of VSU student in 2023
VENN
PETERSBURG, Va. (WRIC) -- A 19-year-old who shot and killed a Virginia State University (VSU) student in Petersburg in September 2023 was sentenced to over 40 years in prison on Thursday.
On Thursday, Feb. 26, 19-year-old Dejour Murphy was sentenced in Petersburg Circuit Court to 43 years in prison for the death of 20-year-old Adrionna Brooks West, of Chester, that occurred in the 700 block of Halifax Street on Sept. 3, 2023.
Murphy, who was 16 years old at the time of the killing, was found guilty of first-degree murder, use of a firearm and three counts of maliciously shooting into an occupied vehicle by a Petersburg jury on Nov. 24, 2025.
"The case was prosecuted by Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Kevin R. Mueller. Murphy was represented by attorney Christopher D. Feldman," the Commonwealth's Attorney wrote in the Feb. 27 release.
According to police, officers were called to a shooting at around 11 p.m. in the 700 block of High Street that evening, where they found West dead at the scene with a gunshot wound.
This deadly shooting happened more than a week after another VSU student was killed in a separate Petersburg shooting. On Aug. 25, 2023, 19-year-old Matthew Gibbs of Columbia, South Carolina, was shot and killed. This marked two VSU student deaths within nine days.
