Danville man guilty in 2017 double slaying; by waiving right to jury trial, 30-year-old avoids possible death penalty – GoDanRiver.com

In what was scheduled to be a two-week jury trial, a 30-year-old Danville man avoided a possible death penalty by permitting a Danville judge to preside over a double homicide case Monday.

In a trial lasting about six hours, Danville Circuit Court Judge James J. Reynolds found Dana Miguel Keith guilty in the 2017 shooting deaths of Breai Martonia Edmunds, 21, and 20-year-old Damarcus Daron Whitehead.

Keith, 30, was convicted Monday on three counts of capital murder, four counts of use of a firearm in commission of a felony and two counts of robbery in connection to the slayings. The three capital counts encompass one for two or more people and two counts of capital murder in a robbery.

Edmunds and Whitehead were found dead inside a car at the intersection of Arnett Boulevard and Glendale Avenue on the evening of June 1, 2017. Keith was arrested by police in October 2017.

Two weeks originally were set aside for a jury trial on the capital charges, which could have included the possibility of the death penalty.

He waived the right to jury, and we waived death, Danville Commonwealths Attorney Michael Newman said.

The commonwealths decision to waive the death penalty was not a plea deal, said Bo Palmore, an assistant commonwealth attorney at the Danville office.

Its just a way to expedite things, he said Tuesday.

During the trial, details emerged surrounding the events before the deadly shootings. According to the commonwealth attorneys office, Keith, Edmunds and Whitehead were all at a party at Woodside Apartments. Keith left with a group to pick up beer at a nearby Sunrise gas station on North Main Street, according to a summary of evidence. Afterward, Keith was dropped back off at Woodside with two others.

The commonwealth also discovered Keith had a personal grudge against Whitehead.

A witness testified that Mr. Keith did not like the male victim, Palmore said. All four witnesses in the car testified that Keith said he was going to get Mr. Whitehead.

During the trial, the commonwealth presented 19 witnesses and 14 exhibits of evidence. The defense presented nothing, including Keith.

Mr. Keith exercised his fifth amendment right not to testify, said Marvin Lee Smallwood Jr., a local attorney on Keiths defense team.

After Whitehead was shot, his gold chain was snatched from his neck, the commonwealth contented. Edmunds iPhone 7 was taken out of her pocketbook along with her gold necklace. Danville police later found these items at the home of one of Keiths associates.

Of the 19 witnesses brought by the commonwealth, two claimed they heard Keith confess to the shooting deaths, according to the Danville Commonwealths Attorney Office. One individual testified Keith killed Edmunds because she was a witness. Some of the witnesses in the car with Keith also testified he attempted to obtain a gun before he was dropped off at Woodside.

The commonwealth presented video evidence from both the apartment and the gas station. In addition, they produced evidence showing an iPhone and gold chains stolen from the victims were in possession of an associate of Keiths.

Keith is scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 29.

Avent is a reporter with the Danville Register & Bee. Reach him at (434) 797-7983.

Avent is a reporter with the Danville Register & Bee. Reach him at (434) 797-7983.

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Danville man guilty in 2017 double slaying; by waiving right to jury trial, 30-year-old avoids possible death penalty - GoDanRiver.com