A Roanoke man will serve 12 1/2 years in prison for distributing large quantities of marijuana and being involved in a robbery that led to the murder of his drug supplier.
Garrett Isaac Williams, 22, pled guilty in February 2025 to one count of conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act Robbery.
In April, Williams’ co-defendant, Joseph Walker, was sentenced to 35 years in prison after pleading guilty to one count of Hobbs Act Robbery and one count of discharging a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
The pair were up to their eyeballs in debt to their drug supplier and concocted a scheme to “scare” them away from Virginia, telling investigators they planned to rob them, but instead shooting and killing them, and later, set their car on fire with the body inside. The shooting apparently stemmed from anger when the supplier called one of the dealer’s mothers by accident.
According to court documents, Walker and Williams conspired to distribute marijuana and marijuana wax they sourced from the drug supplier, who periodically traveled from Pennsylvania to supply the pair at Walker’s residence in Roanoke.
Eventually, the men fell into debt to the drug supplier. In an effort to collect money he was owed, the supplier attempted to phone Walker but instead inadvertently called Walker’s mother.
This phone call caused Walker and Williams to set in motion a plan to end their relationship with the supplier. However, instead of paying down their debt, they conspired to order more marijuana and then scare him from returning to Virginia. Walker concealed a Sig Sauer, .45 caliber pistol on his person, intending to use it as part of the robbery.
The supplier 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.
Upon the supplier’s arrival, Walker confronted them about the phone call made to his mother, before shooting him twice, killing him.
Afterwards, Walker, as planned, took the marijuana that the supplier had brought with him and, to conceal his crime, moved the body out of his residence, placed it in the trunk of the 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 by force.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and Virginia State Police, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Brevard County Sheriff’s Office, the Roanoke City Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office, the Roanoke City Police Department, the Roanoke County Police Department, the City of Lynchburg Police Department and the Bedford County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office investigated the case.
The Star City Drug and Violent Crime Task Force also aided in the investigation and is comprised of officers from the Roanoke City Police Department, Roanoke County Police Department, City of Salem Virginia Police Department, the Vinton Police Department, and Virginia State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation’s Salem Field Office.
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Crystal Graham
