CHESAPEAKE, Va. (WAVY) — A judge certified robbery and gun charges against three people Wednesday in connection with the shooting death of a pizza delivery driver in March 2019 in Chesapeake.
Charges against Tonagee Ravanel, Antonio Britton and Semiya Davidson have been certified to a grand jury.
They were all arrested after last year’s death of 30-year-old Stephanie Brainerd at the Marina Point Apartment complex in Chesapeake.
Brainerd was delivering pizza when she was gunned down in her car. Search warrants filed in Chesapeake Circuit Court indicate the apartment Brainerd was delivering to in Marina Point Apartments was vacant, suggesting a possible set up.
An officer heard the shots, then followed an SUV that was seen speeding away from the complex. The pursuit stopped in Portsmouth.
It was a closed court room Wednesday where Britton, Davidson and Ravenal faced a judge for their preliminary hearing.
All three and their attorneys stood at the bench, where Davidson right off the top decided to waive her right to a preliminary hearing, meaning she was only there to testify against the two men facing similar charges.
In her testimony Wednesday, she was soft-spoken.
She said she knew both of the other defendants, and on the night of Brainerd’s death and the following police pursuit, they were pulling the strings.
In her testimony, she said she saw Britton pull the trigger on the delivery driver.
In a cross examination, their attorney argued that her testimony was the exact opposite from what she said the night she was questioned.
She said she was scared that night and that’s why she said something different.
The attorneys claimed she is inconsistent and unreliable.
Another witness to testify Wednesday was an officer who was there the night of the murder and police pursuit.
He showed a pizza delivery bag and receipt that was found in the back of the vehicle once the group was pulled over.
The court also heard testimony from a cellmate of Britton’s, who said Britton told him he pulled the trigger.
However, once again, Britton’s attorney argued that testimony is fueled by alternative motives in the cellmate’s own separate personal cases.
Despite the arguments from the defense, the charges were certified to a grand jury.
There are no murder charges at this point. Davidson, Britton and Ravenel are charged with robbery, conspiracy to commit robbery and use of a firearm in commission of a felony.
Their cases will be heard by a grand jury on Feb. 4.