THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, September 8, 1994 TAG: 9409080740
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B4 EDITION: FINAL
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Short : 27 lines
A teenager charged with the January murder of a man in Ocean View was acquitted of all charges Wednesday in Circuit Court.
After 30 minutes of deliberation, jurors found 16-year-old Keith Moton not guilty of first-degree murder and use of a firearm. A family member sitting in the courtroom raised her hand overhead and said, ``Thank you, Jesus,'' when the verdict was read.
In July, Moton's co-defendant pleaded guilty in the case. In a plea agreement, Terrance T. Cowell, 17, was found guilty of second-degree murder and use of a firearm. Circuit Judge Alfred Whitehurst sentenced Cowell to 13 years in prison.
Moton was accused of the Jan. 23 slaying of Mark W. Hatch, 40, of the 600 block of Edwin Drive in Virginia Beach. Police said Hatch was shot during a drug deal. His body was found soon after the shooting in the parking lot of a fast-food restaurant in the 9600 block of Shore Drive.
KEYWORDS: MURDER by CNB