NORFOLK, Va. — Michael Ebong, a Norfolk man who was convicted on involuntary manslaughter and sexual assault charges in September, was granted a continued sentencing by a judge Thursday.
His lawyers also requested a competency examination at that time. This request was granted, and the evaluation will be heard in court on March 17 at 9 a.m.
In the middle of this discussion with the judge, Ebong started to look behind him. When the judge advised Ebong to keep his head forward, as required in the courtroom for the inmate, that's when Ebong started yelling loudly, saying someone he knew was not in the courtroom.
When bailiffs gathered around Ebong to contain his behavior, he jumped up and started yelling more. The bailiffs eventually forced him out of the courtroom, causing a disruption in the hearing.
Ebong, 43, was initially arrested in 2021 on charges of rape and sexual assault that were unrelated to the manslaughter charges.
According to an affidavit related to Ebong's arrest, the initial set of charges stemmed from complaints made by two women. One of those women, who accused Ebong of rape, testified in a preliminary hearing in 2021.
At the time of his arrest in 2021, the Norfolk Police Department was also looking into the deaths of two women -- Sheena West and Kelsey Paton.
They were found dead months apart in the area of Hillside Avenue, near where Ebong lived in Ocean View.
Ebong was not initially connected to the murders, but police found evidence of "criminal activity" near their bodies, which led them to arrest Ebong.
West and Paton's families were inside the courtroom for the sentencing, waiting for the final word on Ebong's fate.
"We were waiting for something to happen and nothing ever did," Kelsey's mother, Kathy Paton, said. "[Kelsey] was everything to all of us. Not just me or my family, but everyone she knew."
West's mother, Lorna Pritchett, described her daughter as a kind woman who moved to Virginia Beach to one day take care of her when she gets older.
"Sheena's a very, very kind person. Very fun and loves to make sure that you're happy and would do anything for you. That's the kind of Sheena I know," Pritchett said. "We want the whole entire world's support, even in Hampton Roads, to keep this guy away from the streets, so can no longer hurt anyone."
Kathy Paton said she doesn't linger on the thought of Ebong but instead wants to focus on her daughter's memory.
"I think he's robbed us of everything," Paton said. "We want her to be remembered. We just want her to be remembered and Sheena, too...and the victim in the middle."
Paton said she wants people to realize how this situation is a danger many women face, saying "women should be safe to go do whatever they want to do. It doesn't matter what they're doing."
On Jan. 5, 2022, a grand jury indicted him on the following charges:
- Two counts of second-degree murder
- One count of object sexual penetration by force
- One count of intercourse victim helpless
The second-degree murder charges were later reduced to involuntary manslaughter when a jury convicted him in September.
The judge ruled because of Ebong's outburst, he lost his right to be present in a courtroom in his future hearings.
Ebong faces the maximum sentencing of up to two lifetimes, plus 20 years, in prison.