A man who fatally shot his older brother in 2021 was convicted in Norfolk Circuit Court today of second-degree murder.
Gregory Alexander Mayo, 32, was also convicted of the use of a firearm in the commission of the crime.
According to court records, on Feb. 11, 2021, Mayo, then 29, allegedly shot and killed 31-year-old Kevin Michael Gumbs after an argument. Gumbs was visiting Mayo in Norfolk but expressed his desire to go back to his residence in New York due to Mayo’s recent concerning behavior.
Gumbs, Mayo and a friend drove to a bus station in Virginia Beach that evening, but Gumbs was unable to purchase a bus ticket, and the group drove back to Mayo’s home in Norfolk.
Later that night, Gumbs contacted a different family member to give him a ride back to the bus station, but the family member was unable to. That was the last time that family member heard from Gumbs.
A home surveillance system near Mayo’s residence on Guy Avenue captured the sound of six gunshots the same night.
The next day, a neighbor found Gumbs’ body under a tarp outside. Gumbs’ cause of death was ruled as six gunshot wounds to his torso, and the medical examiner noted abrasions to his back consistent with being dragged.
Norfolk Police attempted to contact Mayo but were unsuccessful. Norfolk Police contacted the family member who last spoke with Gumbs before his death. The family member told investigators that the family had confronted Mayo about Gumbs’ death, and Mayo admitted to them that he shot Gumbs for being “disrespectful.”
On Feb. 13, 2021, Norfolk Police arrested Mayo and confiscated a 9mm pistol and multiple cartridge casings from his residence. Forensic examiners later determined that the casings and the bullets recovered during Gumbs’ autopsy were fired from Mayo’s pistol.
Mayo pleaded no contest on Friday, pursuant to the rule in North Carolina v. Alford, to second-degree murder and the use of a firearm in the commission of murder, and Judge David W. Lannetti found him guilty.
In an Alford plea, a defendant maintains his innocence but admits that the evidence would be sufficient to convict if the case had gone to trial.
Mayo is scheduled for sentencing on May 10, and the plea agreement leaves the sentencing to the judge, who may impose an active prison sentence of up to 18 years.
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Crystal Graham
