PORTSMOUTH, Va. — A man was sentenced for killing a Portsmouth woman in the summer of 2022.
Jamar Lafonz Hilliard will serve 14 years for the death of 37-year-old Charkela Branch on July 25, 2022, according to the Commonwealth's Attorney's Office. Hilliard also received 12 years of supervised probation after release.
The Commonwealth's Attorney's Office said its evidence showed that Hilliard and Branch were in a relationship and started to fight at Branch's home, according to a release.
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During the altercation, both parties fired guns at each other, according to the Commonwealth's Attorney's Office. As a result, Branch was fatally shot.
Hilliard turned himself in in connection to murder in February 2023.
In October 2023, he was found guilty of voluntary manslaughter and maliciously shooting into an occupied dwelling. In a separate trial, he was found guilty of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
Hilliard was sentenced for all charges Friday:
- voluntary manslaughter: 10 years followed by five years of supervised probation
- maliciously shooting into an occupied dwelling: 10 years with seven years suspended, followed by five years of supervised probation
- possession of a firearm by a convicted felon: three years with two years suspended, followed by two years of supervised probation
