John Andrew Rathjen was 28 when he was found shot to death in his Virginia Beach home on June 10, 2017. Born March 4, 1989, in Norfolk, he was a father to two daughters and remembered by friends and family for his sense of humor and willingness to help others.

Rathjen and his 23-year-old roommate, Rayvone Sharome Miles, were both found dead on Archives Court after what police initially described as a suspicious death investigation. Authorities later said both men had been shot multiple times during a robbery that was linked to a larger spree; one suspect was alleged to have committed another robbery earlier that day.

Two men, James Cole Gregory and Leonard Allen Morrison III, were arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of robbery, and four counts of using a firearm in the commission of a felony. At Morrison’s trial prosecutors alleged Morrison drove Gregory to the home and that Gregory shot both victims before Morrison fired fatal shots to the heads; the defense pointed to a lack of physical evidence tying Morrison to the shootings and disputed who fired the fatal rounds. Morrison was also accused of involvement in a Hampton police shootout two days after the murders.