David Branch

A contagious smile that could light up any room and a giving spirit were at the heart of who David Branch was. Born in Portsmouth, Virginia, on July 11, 1981, David was remembered by his loved ones as a happy, humbled, and fun-loving man who cherished his family. A father to eleven children and a grandfather of four, he was deeply devoted to spending quality time with them. David, a 40-year-old Black man, attended Portsmouth Public Schools and was an employee at Roger Brown's Sports Bar. His natural generosity meant he would help anyone he could, and he brought joy and laughter to those around him.

The joy David brought to the world was violently extinguished in the pre-dawn hours of Wednesday, February 2, 2022. At approximately 5:45 a.m., officers from the Portsmouth Police Department responded to a call about a shooting at the River Walk Inn & Suites on Effingham Street. Inside a second-story room at the hotel where he was living, they found David and his girlfriend, both suffering from gunshot wounds. David Branch was pronounced dead at the scene. His girlfriend was critically injured but survived the attack. A maintenance worker at the hotel later described David as a "good person" who "didn't mess with nobody."

The investigation into the brutal shooting quickly gained momentum. Portsmouth Police detectives determined that two men had entered the hotel room and shot David multiple times. Within days, on February 6, police identified 32-year-old Demonte Rayshawn Worrell as a primary suspect and issued warrants for his arrest on charges of first-degree murder, aggravated assault, attempted robbery, and multiple firearm violations. Investigators also named a second suspect, 28-year-old Marcellus Tyrell Epps, who was wanted for first-degree murder, aggravated malicious wounding, and numerous other felonies. Police believed narcotics and gang activity might have been involved in the case.

In the wake of the murder, David's heartbroken family and community members gathered for a vigil outside the River Walk Inn. They called for an end to the gun violence plaguing their city. "He was a caring, loving person. He didn’t bother anybody. He would give anyone the shirt off his back," his sister told a reporter, expressing her family's profound grief. "People need to put these guns down." Community activist Barry Randall echoed the sentiment, stating, "It’s going to take a community effort for this to stop." Portsmouth Police Chief Renado Prince attended the vigil to speak with the grieving family.

The search for the two suspects continued for months. On May 6, 2022, Marcellus T. Epps was located and taken into custody by the Chesapeake Police Department. The manhunt for the second suspect concluded on August 16, 2022, when members of the Portsmouth Police Department's Special Investigations Unit and SWAT team arrested Demonte Worrell. Worrell was formally charged with first-degree murder, two counts of using a firearm, aggravated assault, two counts of attempted robbery, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Following the arrests, the cases against both men began moving through the legal system. As of the last available reports in August 2022, both suspects were in custody and facing charges for their alleged roles in the murder of David Branch and the wounding of his girlfriend. The Portsmouth Police Department has asked anyone with information about the case to call the Crime Line at 1-888-LOCK-U-UP.