Roanoke drug dealer pleads guilty to conspiracy in 2023 robbery, murder plot

A Roanoke drug dealer has admitted to helping plan a robbery that ultimately led to the murder of his drug supplier.

Garrett Isaac Williams, 22, pleaded guilty on Wednesday in federal court to one count of conspiracy to commit robbery. Last month, Williams’ co-defendant, Joseph Walker, pleaded guilty to one count of robbery and one count of discharging a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

According to court documents, Walker and Williams conspired to distribute marijuana and marijuana wax they sourced from a Pennsylvania man identified in the court documents as “E.B.”

Walker and Williams fell into debt to E.B., and set in motion a plan to end their relationship with E.B., conspiring to order more marijuana from E.B., rob E.B. of that marijuana upon delivery and, in so doing, scare him from returning to Virginia.

On April 17, 2023, E.B. traveled from Pennsylvania to Walker’s residence, bringing with him approximately 10 pounds of marijuana and two pounds of marijuana wax in a deal facilitated by Williams.

During E.B.’s trip, Williams maintained communication with him and provided updates to Walker so that he was prepared for E.B.’s arrival.

Upon E.B.’s arrival, Walker invited him into his home, where he confronted E.B. about a phone call E.B. had made to his mother, before immediately shooting him twice, killing him.

Walker then took the marijuana that E.B. had brought with him and, to conceal his crime, dragged E.B.’s body out of his residence, placed it in the trunk of E.B.’s car and drove to Bedford County, where he set the car on fire.

While not physically present at the time of the robbery, Williams admitted to planning to rob E.B by force.