Man faces life in prison after being found guilty of first-degree murder in killing of VSU student
VENN
PETERSBURG, Va. (WRIC) -- A Petersburg man faces life in prison after a jury found him guilty of first-degree murder in the September 2023 shooting that killed a Virginia State University (VSU) student.
At around 11 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 3, 2023, police responded to a shooting in the 700 block of High Street for reported gunfire.
When they arrived, they found 20-year-old Adrionna Brooks West, of Chester, dead inside a vehicle from 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.
On Monday, Nov. 24, 2025, a Petersburg jury found Dejour Murphy guilty of first-degree murder, use of a firearm and three counts of malicious shooting into an occupied vehicle in connection with Brooks West's death.
Murphy's sentencing is set for Feb. 26, 2026, where he faces up to life in prison.
