CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A murder victim’s friend wants the gunman to “rot in hell” for killing David Stewart.
“He basically took my brother’s life over a gun,” Joseph Butler said. “My brother had a big heart.”
Butler walked toward Deandre “Dravo” Moore, 22, and said those words Monday in Kanawha County Circuit Court before the bailiff held him back and ushered him back to the public seating area.
“Quiet or you’re leaving,” the bailiff warned Butler.
Moore shot and killed Stewart on July 7, 2016 inside a parked car on the city’s West Side.
Moore pleaded guilty Monday to first degree murder in connection with Stewart’s death at the Orchard Manor Housing Complex. Kanawha County Circuit Judge Charlie King then sentenced Moore to life in prison with mercy.
The binding plea agreement with prosecutors requires Moore to be eligible for parole after 15 years.
Kanawha County Assistant Prosecutor Maryclaire Akers said the deal was the best option for the state, especially after they experienced two mistrals for Tremaine Jackson in a separate murder case.
“We’ve been through two different jury trials in one murder case alone just recently. I think that it’s always a risk what a jury will do, but it’s also a risk for the defendant,” Akers said.
Investigators said Moore used an AR-15 to shoot Stewart.
“He pulled out a firearm and shot Mr. Stewart as he sat in the vehicle in the driver’s seat that is clearly captured on video by the Orchard Manor Housing Complex in Charleston, Kanawha County,” Akers said.
Moore was arrested last year in Charlotte, North Carolina.
He will get credit for the 474 days he’s already served in jail.