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Suspect Identified in Fatal Pelham Stabbing

Police say suspect was detained by police shortly after stabbing was reported.

 

Police have identified the suspect in last night's fatal stabbing as 20-year-old Justin Brunell, who now stands charged with first degree murder. Police say they are not looking for any additional suspects, but said that the investigation is not over yet.

"We are looking to interview anyone who may know anything about last night's events," said Fredericksburg Police spokersperson Natatia Bledsoe.

Police say multiple eyewitnesses in the area of the incident were able to provide a description of the suspect as he chased his victim, 33-year-old Jermaine Samuel, following an argument over cocaine.

The incident began around 11:20 p.m., when police were dispatched to the scene of a loud disturbance in the neighborhood. When police arrived, they found Samuel slumped on the road next to a parked truck on Pelham Street.

Samuel was found to have been stabbed multiple times, and was pronounced dead on the scene by rescue workers. Samuel's last known address was at the Colonial Motel on Princess Anne Street in downtown Fredericksburg.

Police say they located Brunell, based on the eyewitness descriptions, at the Fredericksburg Shopping Center in the 500 block of Jefferson Davis Highway within 10 minutes of responding to the scene of the murder. He was placed in investigative custody by police at that point. He was formally arrested and charged later in the morning after police discovered a weapon believed to have been used in the murder near the scene of the crime. Assisting police in the search for the weapon was a canine unite from the Spotsylvania County Sheriff's Office.

Brunell was last known to have lived with his parents in the Idlewilde subdivision. His parents say that he had been evicted from their home over concerns about his drug use and report that he was currently living out of his car. Brunell is behind bars at the Rappahannock Regional Jail under no bond.

Related Topics: Jermaine Samuel, Justin Brunell, Murder, and pelham

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Michael Theis

1:41 pm on Wednesday, October 12, 2011

An earlier version of this story included the name of the street on which Brunell was believed to have lived with his parents. This was inaccurate, according to Brunell's parents, and the story has been updated to reflect that. The street name has been removed, citing the Brunell family's concerns over reprisals.

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