NORFOLK — A jury trial in Norfolk is underway for one of the men accused of shooting and killing a former William & Mary football player, Nate Evans, in March of 2019.
On the first day of the Commonwealth V. Keith Bryant Jr., we heard opening statements from both sides.
Bryant is facing charges of using a gun to commit a felony and first-degree murder.
Prosecutors claimed Bryant admitted that he shot Evans to another person shortly after the shooting back in 2019.
The defense claimed that the person was lying and that the police work done in this case is troubling.
"He didn't live his life in such a way that this should have happened to him," Brandi Evans, Nate's mom said in an interview before the trial.
Five years later Nate's family is still looking for justice for the 19-year-old's death.
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"I'm hoping the person who killed my son, and by default killed me, will be punished," Evans said in an interview on Monday.
During opening statements, Senior Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney, Gordon Ufkes, told the jury that back on March 21, 2019, someone called Nate telling him he could make some quick money by selling marijuana at a party near ODU.
Ufkes said Nate and his friend Jack Rettig, went to meet a man named Kri'Shawn Beamon who went by 'Pocket'.
Beamon allegedly got into Nate's car and stole a pound of weed.
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Prosecutors said Nate went to chase Beamon and soon after Nate was shot four times.
"That was a huge lapse in judgment on his part, but it wasn't one that should have cost his life," Evans said during an interview on Monday.
Ufkes said part of their evidence is cell phone data run by the FBI from Bryant's phone records.
He also said after the shooting, while inside a Chesapeake home, Bryant admitted to Beamon he shot Evans.
Defense attorney James Broccoletti told the jury that Bryant was innocent and questioned why Beamon who is also being charged in this case waited three years before he told the police about what Bryant allegedly said.
Broccoletti said the two parts to this story are that Beamon is motivated to serve a lesser sentence and said the police investigation was incompetent.
He told the jury the initial interview between police and Beamon where he mentioned Bryant's name was not recorded.
Broccoletti also said six weeks after Nate was killed, there was a car crash in Suffolk that involved a shooting.
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He said in one of the SUVs police found a gun that matched the bullet casings found at the scene of Evan's death.
Broccoletti said it wasn't properly investigated by police on the connection of how the gun got there.
He ended his statement by saying Nate's family deserves answers and the evidence will only point to Beamon.
One of the witnesses called by prosecutors on Tuesday was Rettig, Nate's friend who was with him the night he died.
Rettig said the night Nate died, he was at his apartment and was talking about selling a pound of weed to someone named Pocket.
He said his friend was not a drug dealer but had sold before.
The two drove over to 43 Street in Nate's car, unarmed, with the weed in a pink bag.
Rettig said Nate had been in contact with Pocket via Snapchat.
When they pulled up, they could see Pocket, and he eventually got into the backseat.
Rettig said there was another person outside of a house watching over everything.
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He said the car doors were open and something felt off before Pocket ran away with the weed and Nate followed.
Rettig said he then heard three to four gunshots and heard someone yell "Don't **** with Pocket, *****."
He said he ran behind a home opposite of the direction Nate ran to and hid behind the home and eventually heard a car speed off.
Rettig said he then went back to where Nate ran and found his friend faced down.
He flipped him over and saw Nate had multiple holes in him.
Day two of the trial begins on Wednesday at 9 a.m.
