Virginia State Police have charged a Dinwiddie man with first-degree murder in a 2023 fatal shooting on Interstate 85.
Zayah Phelps, 20, was served today at Riverside Regional Jail and has been charged with multiple offenses relating to the homicide.
The charges include:
- First-degree murder (18.2-32)
- Use of a firearm in the commission of a felony (18.2-53.1)
- Shooting from a vehicle (18.2-286.1)
- Shooting at an occupied vehicle (18.2-154)
- Reckless handling of a firearm (18.2-56.1)
- Conspiracy to commit murder (18.2-22)
- Attempted murder (front seat passenger) (18.2-26)
Phelps was arrested on Oct. 19, 2024, for probation violation on a felony offense out of Hopewell.
The fatal incident occurred on Aug. 1, 2023, when shots were fired from a vehicle traveling on I-85.
The victim, T’Miya Ornique Murphy, 19, of Chesterfield, was pronounced dead at a local hospital.
The front seat passenger, Joe Lewis Thomas III, 19, of Petersburg, was not injured.
“The Virginia State Police, along with our local law enforcement partners, worked diligently to piece together the evidence in this case and bring those responsible to justice,” said Amanda Mann, commonwealth attorney for Dinwiddie County,
Phelps is currently being held at Riverside Regional Jail for the other unrelated charges. Indictments were obtained on November 19, 2024.
Further court proceedings are pending.
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Crystal Graham
