MARTINSBURG, W. Va. — A Georgia man has been found guilty in the 2021 death of a man on I-81 near Falling Waters.
Berkeley County Prosecuting Attorney Catie Wilkes Delligatti says Harold Dexter Rue, 67, of Snellville, Georgia, was found guilty Wednesday of First-Degree Murder and Use of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony after a two-day trial. A day later, Rue was sentenced to life in prison without mercy.
The Dec. 7, 2021 shooting claimed the life of Reynaldo Gonzalez Mediavilla.
During the sentencing phase, prosecutors detailed that Rue was previously convicted in California of Second-Degree Murder, sentenced to prison and released, subsequently convicted of kidnapping and robbery, and later released again. Rue was reportedly also the primary suspect in an armed robbery that occurred in Chesterfield, Virginia, on Dec. 5, 2021.
Prosecutors “urged the jury to consider Rue’s violent criminal history, the callousness of the murder of Mr. Mediavilla and the lasting impact his death will have on his family, as well as the jury’s opportunity to ensure that Rue never has the opportunity to hurt anyone else.”
“After a short deliberation, the jury returned a verdict recommending that Rue be sentenced to life without mercy, meaning that Rue will never be eligible for parole. Prior to the commencement of trial, Rue also pleaded guilty to one count of the felony offense of Prohibited Person in Possession of a Firearm.”
Sentencing is set for June 5.