A Roanoke man who robbed, shot, killed and then burned the body of his drug supplier, angry about an errant phone call to his mom to collect a debt, could spend more than three decades in prison.
Joseph Richard Walker, 30, pled guilty in federal court in Roanoke to one count of Hobbs Act Robbery and one count of possessing, brandishing and discharging a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and a crime of violence.
Walker faces up to 35 years in prison.
A second man, Garrett Isaac Williams, has been indicted on related charges and is awaiting trial.
According to court documents, Walker and Williams conspired to distribute marijuana, and their source of supply was E.B., an individual who lived in Pennsylvania.
E.B. often traveled from Pennsylvania to Roanoke to meet Walker and Williams to conduct marijuana sales at Walker’s residence in Roanoke.
In an effort to collect money that he was owed, E.B. called Walker’s mother.
Angry over the call, Walker and Williams set in motion a plan to end their relationship with E.B. Instead of paying the money that was owed, they planned to order more marijuana, rob E.B. of that marijuana when the delivery was made, and in so doing, scare E.B. 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.
Walker had concealed a Sig Sauer, .45 caliber pistol intending to use it as part of the robbery.
Upon E.B.’s arrival, Walker confronted E.B. about the phone call E.B. made to his mother before ultimately shooting him twice, killing him. Walker 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 his car and drove to Bedford County where he set it on fire.
No sentencing date is available.
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Crystal Graham
