Roanoke, Virginia – In a case that has rocked the community, a man has been convicted of voluntary manslaughter after a road rage incident on Williamson Road in Roanoke turned deadly.
The incident, which took place in June 2022, resulted in the death of Grover W. Edwards III, a 40-year-old Roanoke resident. The accused, Keandra Smith, has been sentenced to ten years, with nine of them suspended, followed by five years of probation.
During the sentencing, Commonwealth’s Attorney’s assistant Andrew Stephens revealed that Smith had shot Edwards four times during the road rage fight. Although Smith had initially been charged with second-degree murder, he pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter. This has left some in the victim’s family feeling angry and betrayed.
Linda Kirkland, a family friend of the Edwards family, read a victim impact statement to the judge, asking why Smith was given a plea deal. She questioned whether there was any information Smith could have given the Commonwealth’s office that was worth Edwards’ life or justice for his murder.
According to authorities, Edwards got out of his car first and started fighting with Smith, who was a passenger in his girlfriend’s car. Edwards then broke the back window of Smith’s girlfriend’s car, and Smith took out his gun and fired at Edwards. Stephens raised questions about why Smith’s girlfriend had stopped her car on Williamson Road and why Smith was carrying a gun in the middle of the day.
In a surprising turn of events, Smith apologized to Edwards’ family towards the end of the sentencing. He expressed his regret that things had gone so far and that he had failed to deescalate the situation.
The defense attorney, Halley Taylor, asked for ten years with suspension after one and probation afterwards, while Stephens requested a four-year sentence. The judge ultimately ruled in favor of a ten-year sentence with nine years suspended and five years of probation. The judge also made it clear that Smith would not have any contact with Edwards’ family.
