The Herbert Snipes case ended with a Danville, Virginia, jury convicting the 74-year-old of first-degree murder for fatally shooting his next-door neighbor, Jerry Franklin Wilson, on July 26, 2017, after an eight-year dispute over their property line. Snipes called 911 on himself, told investigators he had aimed for Wilson’s head, and was sentenced to 22 years in prison.
The Dispute That Preceded the Shooting
Snipes and Wilson lived next door to each other on Cabell Street. Their conflict began when Wilson moved in and ran for roughly eight years, largely over where the boundary between the two homes fell.1Danville Register & Bee. Herbert Snipes Convicted of First-Degree Murder Snipes complained repeatedly that Wilson parked vehicles on his property. He also alleged that Wilson taunted him, set dogs on him, and fired shots into a nearby alley at night.
He took the complaints to the Danville Police Department and to city officials over the years, and nothing resolved them. In the spring of 2017, after being told the city could not help, Snipes asked a city legal secretary, Brooke Barkes, how much prison time he would get “if he just killed his neighbor.”1Danville Register & Bee. Herbert Snipes Convicted of First-Degree Murder Prosecutors would later use that question as evidence of premeditation.
The Shooting and Arrest
Early on July 26, 2017, Danville police went to Snipes’s home after he reported that his neighbors were parking on his property.1Danville Register & Bee. Herbert Snipes Convicted of First-Degree Murder Around 11:30 a.m., the two men had another encounter. Snipes said Wilson had teased him. He went inside, retrieved a .22-caliber rifle, and shot Wilson as Wilson was trying to enter his own house.
Wilson, 61, was killed. Snipes called 911 himself and told dispatchers he had shot someone over a neighbor dispute.2WDBJ7. Danville Police Investigating a Shooting Officers found him still at the scene. According to the arrest warrant, he told investigators he “intended to shoot Wilson in the head because he wanted to kill him.”3WSLS. Danville Murder Suspect Told Police He Intended to Shoot Man in the Head The bullet struck Wilson’s right chest and passed through both lungs and his aorta.1Danville Register & Bee. Herbert Snipes Convicted of First-Degree Murder
Snipes was charged with first-degree murder and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony.2WDBJ7. Danville Police Investigating a Shooting
The Trial
The trial in Danville Circuit Court lasted a single day. Senior Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Joe Barrier argued the killing was intentional, malicious, and premeditated, pointing to the question Snipes had asked the city legal secretary months earlier. “To resolve that dispute over a piece of earth, he took a life,” Barrier told the jury.1Danville Register & Bee. Herbert Snipes Convicted of First-Degree Murder Prosecutors also played a video-recorded interview in which Snipes told a detective, “I was aiming at his head.”
Defense attorney Eric T. Cronin argued self-defense and called the shooting a “heat-of-passion-type situation” rather than a premeditated act. He said Snipes shot Wilson unlawfully but not maliciously, and alleged that Wilson had brandished firearms at Snipes in the past. A detective testified that Snipes never mentioned any such brandishing during their interviews.1Danville Register & Bee. Herbert Snipes Convicted of First-Degree Murder
The jury deliberated about 45 minutes before convicting Snipes of first-degree murder and use of a firearm in the commission of murder. At sentencing, jurors took roughly 10 minutes to recommend 22 years in prison.1Danville Register & Bee. Herbert Snipes Convicted of First-Degree Murder
Who Jerry Wilson Was
Wilson was born on October 29, 1955, and was 61 when he was killed. He was a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and had retired in 2014 from Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. He was survived by his wife, Robin Hubbard Wilson, four children, a sister, two brothers, eight grandchildren, and a great-grandchild.4Legacy.com. Jerry Franklin Wilson Obituary
Burglaries at Both Homes
Three days after the shooting, on July 29, 2017, both Wilson’s home at 529 Cabell Street and Snipes’s home at 531 Cabell Street were burglarized within 20 minutes of each other.5WSLS. Danville Murder Victim, Suspects Homes Burglarized About $3,500 in electronics, jewelry, tools, and money were taken from the Wilson residence. A window air conditioner was taken from Snipes’s home.
Danville Police Lt. Mike Wallace said burglaries after violent crimes are not unusual but hitting both the victim’s and the suspect’s homes is rare. He said the break-ins had “all the ear marks of being related” and that someone was “capitalizing on this tragedy.”6WSET. Woman’s Home Burglarized Just Days After Her Husband Was Killed As of the last available reporting, no one had been charged.5WSLS. Danville Murder Victim, Suspects Homes Burglarized