Deadly plot to rob and kill drug supplier ends with Roanoke man sentenced to decades behind bars

Roanoke, Virginia – A shocking and violent crime has reached its legal conclusion as 30-year-old Joseph Richard Walker of Roanoke was sentenced last week to 35 years in federal prison for a brutal scheme that ended in robbery, murder, and arson. The case, described in detail through court records, revealed a cold and calculated plan to eliminate a drug supplier and cover up the crime.

Walker had previously pled guilty in February to two serious charges: one count of Hobbs Act Robbery and one count of possessing, brandishing, and discharging a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime and a violent crime. His sentencing marks a key step in the justice process, while a second man involved in the scheme, Garrett Isaac Williams, has also pled guilty and is still awaiting sentencing.

According to court documents, the crimes unfolded between December 2021 and April 17, 2023, when Walker and Williams were actively involved in a conspiracy to distribute marijuana. The two worked together to obtain drugs from their supplier, identified in records as E.B., who regularly traveled from Pennsylvania to Roanoke to provide marijuana and marijuana wax.

By early 2023, tensions had begun to rise. Williams reportedly owed E.B. a large sum of money for fronted marijuana. As E.B. struggled to contact Williams about the growing debt, he accidentally called Walker’s mother, which alarmed Walker and intensified the situation. That call became a turning point.

Rather than pay the debt, Walker and Williams formed a sinister plan. They intended to lure E.B. into delivering more marijuana, rob him upon arrival, and frighten him enough that he would never return to Virginia. However, the plan took a deadly turn.

On April 17, 2023, E.B. made the trip to Walker’s home carrying about ten pounds of marijuana and two pounds of marijuana wax. Before E.B. arrived, Walker armed himself with a Sig Sauer model 1911 .45 caliber semiautomatic pistol and waited. Upon E.B.’s arrival, Walker immediately confronted him about the phone call. A short verbal exchange escalated quickly. Walker then robbed and shot E.B. twice, killing him at the scene.

The brutality did not stop there. In an attempt to hide the crime, Walker dragged E.B.’s body outside, placed it in the trunk of E.B.’s own vehicle, and drove to Bedford County, Virginia, where he set the car and body on fire. Before leaving, Walker took all the marijuana E.B. had brought with him.

The murder, robbery, and subsequent arson were carefully planned and executed to cover their tracks. However, law enforcement’s investigation led to Walker’s arrest and conviction. His sentencing sends a strong message about the consequences of violent drug crimes.

With Walker now sentenced, attention will turn to his co-conspirator, Williams, who faces his own sentencing soon. The case underscores the devastating and often deadly outcomes tied to drug trafficking and the violent measures individuals may take to protect their illegal enterprises.