City of Richmond

300 block of Hunt Avenue

10:00 PM

Gunshot

Unknown

Man wanted in Richmond drug figure’s slaying surrenders
Tuesday, Sep 16, 2008 - 10:10 AM
A man being sought in the slaying of a Richmond drug figure has surrendered to police.

Troy Powell, wanted for the Aug. 25 shooting death of Jermaine Troy Saunders, turned himself into members of the Richmond Fugitive Task Force yesterday and was charged with voluntary manslaughter.

Saunders was found shot to death in the front yard of a house near Richmond International Raceway, three days after being released from the city jail.

Saunders, 32, of the 800 block of Savannah Avenue had pleaded guilty to a charge of cocaine possession but was released a day later from jail as part of the city’s drug court program, according to court records.

Saunders, who was the target of a multijurisdictional drug investigation, also was convicted on drug charges in 1999.

Man killed in Richmond was out of jail pending drug charges
Wednesday, Aug 27, 2008
Richmond police identified the man shot to death Monday night as Jermaine T. Saunders.

Saunders, 32, of Richmond, was released Friday from the Richmond City Jail on personal recognizance bail and was supposed to return to court Sept. 15 on two felony drug charges.

Richmond Sgt. Ron Brown said police are continuing to investigate Saunders’ slaying. He said investigators believe an argument led to the shooting.

Saunders was the target of a multi-jurisdictional drug investigation.

He was found dead Monday night in the front yard of a North Richmond home near the Henrico County line.

Henrico police officers who were in the area heard gunshots about 10 p.m. and notified Richmond police. The victim was found in the 300 block of Hunt Avenue, just off Meadowbridge Road and about five blocks south of Richmond International Raceway.

The yard where Saunders’ body was found is within a mile of two other shooting deaths this month.

On Saturday night, Henrico police found the body of Ronnie A. Williams in the street at the intersection of Carolina and Pensacola avenues, just east of where Monday night’s victim was found by Richmond police. Williams had been shot in the back.

Less than three weeks ago, a 16-year-old boy was shot to death outside his apartment in the 3700 block of Delmont Street in Henrico, also in close proximity to where Monday’s victim was found.

Ricky M. Burton was killed about 1:30 a.m. Aug 10 in front of his apartment building after returning home from work. No one has been charged in his slaying.