Man sentenced to 14 years for woman’s shooting death in Portsmouth

PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — On March 22, Jamar Lafonz Hilliard was sentenced to serve 14 years for death of 37-year-old Charkela Branch on July 25, 2022, followed by 12 years of supervised probation, a release states.

At the conclusion of the three-day trial on Oct. 4, 2023, the jury found Hilliard guilty of
voluntary manslaughter and maliciously shooting into an occupied dwelling, a release states.

The charges stemmed from a double shooting on Jul. 25 in the 10th block of Jenkins Place. When officers arrived on the scene, they found a man and a woman who were shot.

In a separate trial, he was found guilty of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Hilliard was sentenced to serve the maximum sentence of 10 years for the voluntary
manslaughter charge, followed by 5 years of supervised probation upon release. For the charge
of maliciously shooting into an occupied dwelling, he was sentenced to 10 years with 7 years
suspended, followed by 5 years of supervised probation upon release. For possession of a
firearm by a convicted felon, Hilliard was sentenced to 3 years with 2 years suspended and 2
years of supervised probation upon release.