CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Kanawha County Circuit Judge Jennifer Bailey says a man who “set out on a mission to kill” a woman he claims he loved should spend the rest of his life behind bars.
The judge on Thursday sentenced Vestal Harper, 77, to life in prison without mercy for the Aug. 30, 2022 shooting death of his neighbor Nancy Belcher, 72, at her home in Kanawha City. He pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in October.
Bailey said it was a “cold and calculated day” that resulted in the death of a woman who was full of life and would give anyone the shirt off her back.
“This victim was everything you are not,” the judge told Harper. “She was kind. You were conniving. She was selfless. You were selfish. She was beloved and warm-hearted. You are cold-hearted. She was a nurse and a caregiver, and she was a giver in every way. You were a taker, such a taker to the extent that you have taken away her life.”
Belcher’s nephew James Elswick said his aunt, who family and friends referred to as “Debbie”, lit up a room with her smile. He said she was being taken advantage of by Harper who was using her to pay for expenses, take care of his dog and do his laundry.
“She felt sorry for him,” Elswick told reporters after the hearing. “She just had this heart that if he called him and said ‘I really need your help’ she just couldn’t say no to that. He just set out to use her. At some point, she finally realized that’s all it was about.”
Harper, for the first time since the crime, apologized for his actions during Thursday’s hearing.
“I’m very sorry for what I did,” he said. “I loved Debbie very much. She meant a lot to me. I don’t know why I would ever do something like that.”
The judge said Harper purchased a gun, went to Belcher’s home on Lower Donnally Road, refused to leave when she asked him to, and then shot her four times. After Belcher collapsed, Harper walked over her body and shot her a fifth time before leaving the scene. The shooting was caught on home surveillance video.
Bailey said she viewed the video where Harper showed no emotion after shooting Belcher.
“There was not any act that I could see of someone who actually loved someone. If that’s your way of showing love, I don’t know what would be your way of showing hate,” she said.
Judge Jennifer Bailey says Harper “set out on a mission to kill.” She then handed down the maximum sentence of life in prison without mercy.
“This victim was everything you are not,” Bailey told Harper.
— Carrie Hodousek (@CarrieHodousek) December 14, 2023
Harper’s attorney Robby Long asked the judge to impose life in prison with the possibility of parole after 15 years given his client’s lack of criminal history before the shooting.
“Please consider his early adulthood when he served his country in the United States Army during the Vietnam War. Please consider his life of steady and gainful employment including owning a successful business for 20 years. Please consider his 70-plus years without a single criminal conviction,” Long said.
Bailey denied the defense’s request and handed down the maximum sentence.
Elswick said even though the family is pleased with the outcome, it still won’t bring back their sweet “Debbie.”
“He got what he deserved. The family is glad to hear that, but we still lost her,” he said.