John Jefferson
Top inset: Nyjeon Dameae Brandon (Wright Funeral Service & Crematory). Bottom inset: Jahil Arman Martin (Guilford County Sheriff’s Office). Background: The car Brandon was shot in (WSET).
A North Carolina man has been arrested in connection with a car-to-car shooting that killed a passenger traveling on a road in Virginia in 2023.
Jahil Arman Martin, 23, faces a first-degree murder charge in the death of Nyjeon Dameae Brandon, 20.
At a Tuesday news conference announcing the arrest in the July 9, 2023, shooting, Martinsville Police Chief Rob Fincher described the murder as an “outright execution.”
“If I was to say anything — and I know that I may get a little kickback from this — this was an outright execution,” Fincher said. “This was a planned, premeditated murder, and the victim was the intended target. The suspect organized to have him killed.”
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Brandon suffered fatal wounds early that morning in the shooting as he rode in a vehicle on Commonwealth Boulevard in Martinsville in southwest Virginia. He died at a hospital, and at least two others in the vehicle that carried Brandon were hurt, officials said.
A homicide investigation was launched, but the case stalled.
“Our investigation was slowed by the lack of cooperation from witnesses,” Fincher said. “In fact, the witnesses even tried to conceal some of the evidence.”
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After investigating for more than a year, detectives linked Martin to the case, saying the suspect and victim knew each other. Fincher credited traffic camera footage as helping play a role in the arrest.
“This is likely not going to be the only arrest in this case,” Fincher said. “We are continuing our efforts in the investigation, and there are likely to be additional arrests that come about.”
“We will continue working until all those involved are held accountable,” he added.
Brandon’s obituary said the John Motley Morehead High School graduate was loving and caring.
“There was nothing that he wouldn’t do for anyone,” his obituary said. “His smile brightened any room he entered.”
The obituary said he enjoyed playing football and basketball and being around his mother, brother, grandparents, family and friends.
Martin is being held in a North Carolina jail awaiting extradition to Virginia.
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