Man found guilty of 2 deaths in Va. Beach
Beale shot pair, killed dog, set home on fire during crime spree
VIRGINIA BEACH — Cola Beale IV was found guilty Wednesday of a days-long murderous crime spree that began with him fatally shooting his girlfriend, then killing a man who was like a father to him and later setting the girlfriend’s house on fire while her dog sat helpless and trapped in its crate.
A jury in Virginia Beach Circuit Court deliberated for an hour before finding Beale guilty of all charges he faced: two counts of aggravated murder, two counts of arson, two counts of illegal use of a firearm, abduction and torturing and killing a companion animal.
Beale, 32, didn’t react when the verdicts were read. But when his lawyer, Trevor Robinson, and prosecutors began discussing a sentencing date, Beale turned to Robinson and said, “Hey, can we get this (expletive) over with?”
“Take him out of here,” Judge James C. Lewis said, and deputies quickly removed Beale from the courtroom.
Sentencing was set for July 2. The aggravated murder convictions alone require he be sentenced to life in prison.
Beale has another murder charge pending in Norfolk for the slaying of his cousin, who was shot a few days after the other two. That case is scheduled for trial in May.
Beale’s crime spree began on the afternoon of March 22, 2022, at the home of his girlfriend, Czavi’er Hill. Audio and video from a Ring doorbell camera at Hill’s home played at trial showed Beale and Hill arrived at her Baccalaureate Drive home about noon, then got into an argument.
Soon after, a muffled popping sound could be heard. Hill, 31, was never seen nor heard from again. Her body was found two days later when a fire broke out at her house. She had been shot once in the head. Her black and tan dog, Prince, was found dead in his crate. A veterinarian was unable to determine whether he died from the burns, smoke inhalation or a combination.
The doorbell video footage showed Beale going into the
house with a black bag the day the fire broke out. The bag was later found inside with a gas can in it. Hill’s Toyota sedan was then set on fire a short distance from her home.
The day after Hill’s body was found, police discovered the body of Clifton Baxter, 73, in his home. Baxter — a Vietnam veteran suffering from late-stage cancer — was shot once in the head as he lie asleep on a living room sofa, according to prosecutors.
Beale was arrested in Hampton about a week after the killing spree began. He gave interviews to The Virginian-Pilot and other local media outlets from jail, during which he said he felt no remorse and probably would have killed more people if he hadn’t been arrested.
In a taped interview at the Virginia Beach police headquarters, Beale repeatedly admitted to committing the crimes. He told detectives he was upset over a variety of things, including losing his restaurant job, being convicted of a sex crime he said he didn’t commit and problems with his probation in another case. He said he also was angry about Hill’s parents interfering in their relationship. The couple had questioned his intentions with their daughter and were bothered that he didn’t have a job, he said.
Beale said he bound Hill with duct tape, then poured bleach on her dog and pulled out a lighter. He said Hill jumped up and begged him not to hurt the dog. Beale said he intended to let Hill go, but after she said that he decided to shoot her.
He said he shot Baxter because he wasn’t giving him as much money as he wanted. He stole numerous guns and a safe from Baxter’s house, he said, and found $15,000 to $20,000 in the safe.
Beale told detectives he went back to Hill’s house and set it on fire because it had been two days since he killed her and her body hadn’t been found. He said he poured gasoline on the dog and watched as it was burned alive, adding that he thought it was “funny.”
After confessing, Beale told detectives he was glad he was “finally being heard.” When asked if he felt any remorse, he responded, “I don’t feel nothin’ right now.”
“Did he sound embarrassed, ashamed or remorseful?” Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney Michael Defricke asked jurors during his closing arguments. “Or did he sound proud?”