Commonwealth's Attorney

A 40-year-old man pled guilty to killing a distant relative after his sister accused the victim of touching her inappropriately. Dontreal Demorrio Mattocks pled guilty Wednesday, December 4, to second degree murder and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon in the fatal shooting of Larry Wallace, 40, a distant cousin, on April 29, 2023.

Mattocks and Wallace were at Mattocks’ sister’s apartment when she accused Wallace of touching her in the dark inappropriately. Mattocks, Wallace, and David Marrow all left the apartment after the accusation. Marrow testified that after they drove away in Mattocks’ car, Mattock called his sister and demanded that Wallace apologize. Wallace apologized, but said he did not do anything, and then Mattocks shot Wallace five times.

Mattocks began driving again with Wallace apparently struggling to breathe. He then pulled over near Terminal Avenue and ordered Marrow to take Wallace out of the vehicle, which Marrow did. A citizen riding by in a vehicle driving on the nearby interstate saw Wallace crawling in the street. It seemed so odd that the citizen then drove over and found Wallace still crawling in the street and called police. Wallace later died at Riverside Regional Medical Center within an hour later.

Police found surveillance video from a Hampton car wash of Mattocks cleaning his backseat, where Wallace had been seated, around the same time the citizen found Wallace. Police were able to determine that Mattocks’ and Wallace’s phones were together in the same areas April 28 into the early morning April 29 including being in the Terminal Avenue area at the same time around the time the shooting is believed to have happened. Mattocks phone then went to a family member’s house and stayed there. Wallace’s phone also went there and eventually to the car wash where Mattocks was seen cleaning his vehicle. Mattocks appeared to discover the phone at the car wash and threw it at a wall, as seen on the surveillance.

A forensic examination found the victim’s blood in the back seat of Mattocks’ vehicle. A fired bullet recovered from Mattocks’ vehicle was fired by the same gun that fired four other bullets recovered from Wallace’s body.

Mattocks will be sentenced by Judge Gary Mills on May 2, 2025, and faces a sentence up to 45 years in prison.