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Covington man sentenced in fatal shooting of his father

He is facing a 40-year active sentence, followed by life in prison suspended

FILE: Roland Augustine Jeter, Jr., of Covington, Virginia (Alleghany County Sheriff's Office)

COVINGTON, Va. – A Covington man has been sentenced in connection with the death of his father, according to Ann Gardner, Commonwealth’s Attorney for Alleghany County.

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On Monday, April 24, 2023, 31-year-old Roland Augustine Jeter, Jr. appeared in the Alleghany County Circuit Court to be sentenced for the shooting that left his father, Roland Augustine Jeter, Sr, dead on March 18, 2022.

As we reported last October, Jeter pled guilty to first-degree murder in the shooting.

During Jeter’s sentencing on Monday, a summary of the evidence against him was presented to the court, Gardner said.

Officials said police were alerted when Jeter placed a 911 call on March 19, 2022, claiming that, after trying unsuccessfully to reach his father by phone, he drove to his house to check on him at which time he found his father dead.

Police then found his father inside the home with two gunshot wounds to the back of his head, Gardner said.

After further questioning by the Virginia State Police, Jeter confessed that he shot his father the night before calling 911, drove off in his father’s car, and threw the gun somewhere on Valley Ridge Road, according to court officials.

We’re told a VDOT worker found the gun by the roadside several weeks later, and a forensic exam confirmed that the .25 caliber handgun was used to kill Jeter’s father.

An autopsy report ruled that the victim died from two gunshot wounds to the back of his head, according to Gardner.

On Monday, Jeter was sentenced to life in prison suspended after serving a 40-year active sentence for first-degree murder, court officials said.

Jeter was also sentenced to jail time for driving under the influence of methamphetamine, a second offense for an incident that happened on Jan. 1, Gardner said.


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