NORFOLK, Va. — A man has been sentenced to 26 years in prison for murder, the Norfolk's Commonwealth's Attorney Office announced.
31-year-old Dayqwan Markelle Stevenson pleaded guilty to fatally shooting his ex-girlfriend, Terri Renee Denmark, who is also the mother of his child.
According to officials, on April 16, 2023, Stevenson asked someone to drive him to Denmark's Ocean View home, pretending to bring food to their child. On the way to Denmark's house, he asked the individual to park the car across the street from her house. When he arrived and saw no one was home, he called Denmark and scolded her for staying out late.
Denmark arrived at the home 10 minutes later. Stevenson saw her, got out of the car, and shot her 10 times while she was sitting in her driver's seat. She died from her injuries.
Prosecutors said the person who drove Stephenson witnessed him shoot Denmark. Stevenson threatened to kill the individual and told him to drive him away from the scene after the murder. A store surveillance camera caught Stephenson and the individual on video. Police said his phone record also proved he was at Denmark's house at the time of the shooting.
On May 18, 2023, the Norfolk Police Fugitive Section and Special Operations Team took Stevenson into custody.
Stevenson was sentenced to serve 26 years in prison with another 24 years suspended on the condition that he comply with supervised probation for an indeterminate period following his release.
“Mr. Stevenson, driven by jealousy, killed someone he claimed to love, taking the victim away from her family forever,” said Commonwealth’s Attorney Ramin Fatehi. “While it is impossible to know whether Mr. Stevenson’s head injury played a part in his decision to kill the victim, he had no excuse to commit murder. Mr. Stevenson poses a danger to the public and will now serve the sentence that fits his crime.”
