YORK COUNTY, Va. — Four gang members now face federal charges of abduction and murder in York County, according to the Department of Justice. A fifth suspect pleaded guilty earlier this year.
The York-Poquoson Sheriff's Office was investigating the case but dropped all charges late last year. Sheriff Ron Montgomery said at the time the case was instead moving to the federal level.
All five suspects were accused of murdering 25-year-old Ty'osha Mitchell after she allegedly tried to leave the gang all of them were a part of.
Through the course of the investigation, York deputies arrested the suspects for Mitchell's death. But charges were nolle pros for one of the suspects, and then during a court hearing, the same happened with the remaining four suspects.
"Nolle pros" is a legal action by which prosecutors indicate on record that they will no longer prosecute a pending criminal charge against a defendant. It's similar to a dismissal of the charges, except that the charges can be reinstated by prosecutors at a later time.
The indictment claims that in the early morning of May 6, 2023. 25-year-old Hezekiah Carney of Norfolk, 24-year-old Jamica Langley of Richmond, 26-year-old Donnisha Goodman of Portsmouth, and 19-year-old Acacia Jackson of New York went to Mitchell's apartment on Bethel Street in Richmond to beat her for a "gang infraction."
All of the named individuals were members of a national street gang called the Almighty Black P. Stone Nation.
After beating Mitchell, the group left her apartment. Around an hour later, they returned with a fellow gang member, 25-year-old Jaquan Jones of Richmond. They were allegedly armed and wearing masks and attacked Mitchell again before taking her from her home.
Prosecutors said the group then drove the victim about an hour east of Richmond to a remote area off Old Williamsburg Road in York County, where they removed her from the car and executed her.
At 6:30 a.m., York Poquoson deputies found Mitchell's body and shell casings with an "S&B" headstamp. The medical examiner found eight gunshot wounds to the head, abdomen, back buttocks, and legs.
The following day, Norfolk police located and stopped the suspects' vehicle. Jackson, Goodman, and Langley were inside at the time. Investigators said they recovered a 9mm cartridge from the vehicle with the same "S&B" headstamp.
On March 5, 2024, Jackson pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit kidnapping. She is scheduled to be sentenced on August 22 and faces a maximum penalty of life in prison.
Carney, Goodman, Langley, and Jones are charged with conspiracy to commit kidnapping and kidnapping resulting in death. If convicted, they face a mandatory sentence of life in prison.