Second man arraigned in 2005 W.Va. slaying

July 29, 2006|by MATTHEW UMSTEAD

MARTINSBURG, W.VA. - The second of three men wanted in the October 2005 slaying of Martinsburg resident Donald L. "Dee" Redman was arraigned Friday.

John James Grant, aka "Butter," 21, of New York, was placed in the custody of the Martinsburg Police Department Thursday, exactly nine months after Redman, 29, was found dead on the porch of a Third Street residence, according to Berkeley County Magistrate Court records.

Grant is charged with murder. Police allege he shot Redman once in the head behind an apartment at 517 N. Third St. on Oct. 27, according to records.

Grant was being held without bond Friday at the Eastern Regional Jail after exhausting his rights to fight extradition from New York, where he was arrested in February on marijuana possession charges, police and court officials said.

DeAndre Fullen, aka "Dollar," 19, also of New York, was charged in May with aiding and abetting murder and remains in Eastern Regional Jail. Two preliminary hearings scheduled in his case have been continued since his arrest, records show.

Fullen was extradited to West Virginia from Altoona, Pa., where he was traveling in a vehicle that was stopped by police. According to police reports, Fullen was detained in Altoona after he gave police a fictitious name during the traffic stop. A fingerprint check revealed he was wanted by police in Martinsburg, police said.

Police still are searching for the third man wanted in the slaying.

"We are still trying to ascertain the formal name of 'Prince,'" Martinsburg Police Detective Sgt. G.B. Swartwood said Friday.

Police believe "Prince" assisted in Redman's death, alleging he provided the firearm used to kill Redman.

"Prince" allegedly helped dispose of the body, dragging it from 517 N. Third St. to an enclosed porch at 315 N. Third St., police initially reported.

Police have said the slaying happened after Redman was confronted about drug money he allegedly owed Grant.

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