ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, January 7, 1997 TAG: 9701070084
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: LAURENCE HAMMACK STAFF WRITER
A judge ordered 17-year-old Keith Riles of Roanoke held without bond Monday on charges of participating in last week's fatal shooting on Chapman Avenue Southwest.
Riles, who appeared distraught during a brief hearing in Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court, dropped his head to a courtroom table when he learned that he will remain in custody until at least Thursday.
Riles and 19-year-old Michael Shrawn Benton of 13th Street were arrested Sunday and charged with the Dec. 30 shooting of Larry Edward Donahue. Donahue, 33, was found lying on a sidewalk in the 1300 block of Chapman Avenue, shot in the head.
According to a search warrant filed Monday in Circuit Court, Riles has given a taped statement to police.
The warrant says Riles gave Benton a semi-automatic handgun shortly before Donahue was shot. Riles told police that Benton shot Donahue, went home, then returned to the nearby crime scene unarmed, the warrant states.
A search of Benton's home apparently did not produce the murder weapon. The warrant lists seven $100 bills as the only items seized from the home.
Police have said that one of the teens made a racial comment before the shooting, but have not elaborated on why they consider the killing racially motivated. Donahue was white; the two teens are black.
At Monday's arraignment, Judge John Ferguson amended the warrant against Riles to charge him with murder. Riles had previously been charged with being an accessory before the fact to murder. Both charges carry the same potential sentence - up to life in prison - according to Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Dennis Nagel.
Nagel asked that the charge be amended because "it's the more appropriate charge, having looked at the evidence we have at this point."
Ferguson appointed Onzlee Ware to represent Riles, although family members said they planned to hire their own attorney. Ferguson scheduled a bond hearing for Thursday to give the family time to make arrangements. A preliminary hearing for Riles was scheduled for Feb. 3.
At a separate hearing Monday, Benton was arraigned on murder and use-of-firearm charges. A judge appointed a public defender to represent him and scheduled a preliminary hearing for Jan. 30.
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