PETERSBURG, Va. (WRIC) — A man previously convicted of first-degree murder in connection to the deadly shooting of a woman in a Petersburg hotel in 2021, has now been sentenced to life in prison.
Around 2 a.m. on Thursday, March 6, 2021, Petersburg police officers were called to the OYO Hotel in the 20 block of South Crater Road for a reported shooting. Upon their arrival, they found a woman, Ravon Mays, who had been shot and killed.
Mays was reportedly the sister of a hotel employee and had been staying with the employee at the hotel.
On Aug. 20, 2021, the Petersburg Bureau of Police reported that they had arrested a suspect. Franklin Coleman, 21, of Petersburg, was charged with first-degree murder and other related crimes in connection with the shooting.
In February 2022, Coleman was convicted of the following: First-degree murder, Destruction of evidence, Shooting into a public place and Using a firearm in the commission of a felony.
On Thursday, March 2, Coleman was sentenced to life in prison with an additional nine years.
The case was prosecuted by Petersburg’s Commonwealth’s Attorney Tiffany Buckner.
