Arrest made in Leesville Road murder of Appomattox man
Deshawn Hamlett. Image: Blue Ridge Regional Jail Authority/Campbell County Sheriff’s Office

The Campbell County Sheriff’s Office has announced the arrest of a suspect in the case of a homicide that took place on Monday along Leesville Road. The victim has been identified as Jason Marcus, 40, of Appomattox.

The CCSO’s investigation of the crime led them to a suspect and charges filed. Deshawn Hamlett, 23, of Lynch Station, was charged with second degree murder, as well as the use of a firearm in the commission of a felony.

When law enforcement officials attempted to apprehend Hamlett, he led them in a high-speed chase through the Town of Altavista, ending up in the 5500 block of Wards Road.

“The Campbell County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank members of our community that assisted in this investigation as well as the Altavista Police Department, Pittsylvania County Sheriff’s Office and The Central Virginia Drug and Gang Task Force, stated CCSO Police Information Officer Lt. Jeffrey Rater.

Hamlett is being held without bond at the Lynchburg Detention Center, Rater added. “Further and upgraded charges are anticipated,” Rater announced.

On Labor Day (Monday, Sept. 5), the members of the CCSO responded to a call for a welfare check on a motorist in the vicinity of the 1000 block of Leesville Rd. When deputies from the department arrived at the scene, they discovered that the motorist, still seated behind the wheel, was deceased.

The criminal Investigations Division was called in and started investigating the case as a homicide. By the next day, they had filed charges against Hamlett. The suspect’s arraignment was scheduled for today (Sept. 7) in Campbell County General District Court; the results are not yet available.

The investigation is ongoing, and the CCSO urges anyone with information about the case to contact the Sherriff’s Office via the county’s Dispatch Center at 434-332-9574 or Crime Stoppers at 1-888-798-5900. Alternatively, information can be shared to Crime Stoppers by phone at 1-888-798-5900, on the P3 app for mobile devices, or online at p3tips.com.