ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, November 15, 1996 TAG: 9611150080
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RICHARD FOSTER STAFF WRITER
A Pittsylvania County man pleaded guilty Thursday to second-degree murder for killing a friend while high on crack cocaine and dumping his body in a remote area of Bedford County.
Randall E. Faris, 38, of Gretna faces a maximum of 43 years in prison for the death of 36-year-old Bobby Anthony Carter, also of Gretna. Faris had faced a charge of first-degree murder, which carries a penalty of 20 years to life in prison.
According to witnesses for the prosecution, Faris and Carter had been driving through Pittsylvania County, drinking and smoking crack cocaine, for about two days before the February murder.
Faris sold Carter a handgun to get money to buy crack cocaine, but Carter later complained that the gun was faulty and didn't fire properly.
Faris' 15-year-old son, Michael, said in a sworn statement that after Carter had been missing for a few days, Randall Faris told his son that he had killed Carter when the two men struggled for the gun during an argument. According to the son's testimony, Faris said he accidentally shot Carter in the face, then shot him in the head, and dumped the body.
Bloodstains recovered from Faris' car matched Carter's DNA profile.
"We felt that this was an egregious case because of the way he shot him two times and because of the way he just dumped him," said Bedford County Commonwealth's Attorney Randy Krantz. "The commonwealth's position is whether or not there was premeditation, the second shot clearly made it a malicious act."
Faris was tried in Bedford County Circuit Court because the body was found in Bedford County. A sentencing date has not been set.
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