Prosecutors: Brothers murdered two women
Pair accused of slayings in Virginia Beach, Chesapeake
VIRGINIA BEACH — A little more than 24 hours after two brothers fatally shot a woman during a robbery at a Virginia Beach gas station, they began their next murderous outing, according to prosecutors.
Darrius White and older brother Michael White left their grandmother’s home and headed to a nearby Family Dollar store, Chesapeake police detective T. Alexander testified Thursday in Virginia Beach Circuit Court.
There, they saw Pamela Schwartz, 44, enter the store to make a purchase. She lived at a nearby group home for adults with special needs and was walking home when the brothers began to follow her, Alexander said.
It was supposed to just be a robbery — like the night before in Virginia Beach — but again turned into a fatal shooting, Alexander said. Schwartz was shot three times, just like the woman in Virginia Beach. She was found a few days later, next to the garage of a home under renovation.
The detective’s testimony came during a sentencing hearing Thursday for Michael White, 31, on charges of first-degree murder and multiple robbery and firearm charges for the Dec. 13, 2021, death of Annie Smith.
Alexander’s testimony also marked the first time the White brothers had been publicly linked to Schwartz’s slaying. Neither has been charged, but Alexander said Chesapeake prosecutors are expected to seek indictments against them once the Virginia Beach cases are concluded.
Smith, 65, was shot in the chest after the brothers robbed her and her husband at the gas pumps outside the Harris Teeter grocery store in the Haygood Shopping Center. A .45 caliber semiautomatic handgun Smith had for protection was stolen. Alexander testified that gun was used to kill Schwartz.
Michael White pleaded guilty in June to his role in Smith’s killing. In exchange, prosecutors agreed to seek no more than 50 years in prison, which was the term Circuit Judge James C. Lewis gave him Thursday.
Darrius White, 24, went to trial in the case earlier this week and was found guilty of all charges, including aggravated murder, which requires life in prison without any chance at parole. His sentence will be formally issued Feb. 15.
The brothers made an emergency call hours after Schwartz’s shooting, saying they were both suicidal, and were taken to a hospital. Officers who responded recognized the clothing Darrius White was wearing from footage of the gas station robbery. Both admitted to their roles in Smith’s and Schwartz’s death, prosecutors said.
Assistant Public Defender Annette Miller told Circuit Judge James C. Lewis that Michael White is intellectually disabled. He graduated from high school with a special education diploma, Miller said, and still struggles with reading, writing, math and basic life skills.
And while Michael White is several years older, he was the follower, Miller said. He and Darrius White were raised by different relatives and hadn’t had much contact until a few weeks before Smith’s murder, when Darrius White moved in with his grandmother and brother.
Michael White was still traumatized by the drive-bys-hooting death of his cousin, and was thrilled to have his younger brother living with him, Miller said. Before that, he stayed home most the time, watching cartoons and playing video games, she said.
“Darrius was the driving force in all of this,” the defense lawyer said. “If Darrius had not come back into Michael’s life, (Michael) would not be sitting here today.”
But prosecutors Brandon Emery and Janee Joslin argued Michael White was a willing participant and had been seen on video pointing a gun at the head of Annie Smith’s husband, Steven. He also willingly joined his brother the next night, they said.
Lewis agreed, and gave White the maximum allowed under the plea agreement.
“This case is awful. Just awful,” the judge said, adding that he hoped the lengthy prison sentence for Michael White would help the Smith family as it tries to move forward.