VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — One of two brothers found guilty for their involvement in a deadly shooting at a Harris Teeter gas station was sentenced to life without parole plus 2 life terms and 13 years, according to the Commonwealth's Attorney for the City of Virginia Beach.
Darrius Cornell White, 25, formerly of Chesapeake was sentenced for aggravated murder, robbery causing death, and use of a firearm, according to the Commonwealth's Attorney.
Judge James C. Lewis presided over the two-day jury trial and told White “Your DNA has an evil streak that can’t be rehabilitated, changed, or eliminated.”
White was found guilty in December 2023 of shooting and killing Annie Smith on Dec. 13, 2021, at the Harris Teeter gas station in the Haygood Shopping Center.
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His brother, Michael White, had previously pleaded guilty for his role in the shooting. Judge Lewis sentenced him to 50 years in connection to the murder.
During the sentencing hearing, prosecutors revealed the White brothers are also accused of murdering a woman in Chesapeake on Dec. 14, 2021.
A detective testified that Pamela Schwartz was found deceased on Bethel Road in Chesapeake three days after they believed she was killed. The detective said that a bullet shell casing at that scene matched the gun that was stolen from Annie Smith in the robbery.
Smith pulled out a gun from her car when her husband, Steven Smith, was being robbed at the gas pumps. Darrius White shot Annie Smith three times, killing her.
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The Whites were driving a vehicle they had stolen earlier in the day, according to the Virginia Beach Commonwealth's Attorney's Office. After the murder of Annie Smith, the owner of the car spotted them driving his stolen vehicle, and the Whites abandoned it.
Around midnight on Dec. 15, 2021, the brothers went to the hospital claiming to be suicidal, according to the Commonwealth's Attorney's Office. In an interview with police, Darrius White confessed to his role in the murder of Annie Smith.
