Motel Murder Suspect Decides To Surrender To Police Over FaceTime, Authorities Say

A murder suspect surrendered over FaceTime and now faces decades behind bars.

Around 8:15 a.m. on June 19, the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office in Virginia responded to a Red Roof Inn for a reported shooting. When deputies arrived, they found a man in the parking lot with a gunshot wound to the chest.

Deputies tried to provide care and the victim was taken to the hospital.

The victim later died from his injuries, according to the sheriff’s office. The name of the victim has not been released.

The suspect fled in a Toyota Tacoma and deputies quickly identified the person’s name.

Crisis negotiators spoke to the suspect – later identified as George Pearson III, 44 — via FaceTime, according to the sheriff’s office. They tried to get Pearson to surrender, but he refused and said he would not be taken alive.

A few hours later, Pearson stopped on an exit ramp of I-95 and was still on the FaceTime, according to the sheriff’s office. He then agreed to surrender and was taken into custody.

The incident remains under investigation, though police said it was not a random shooting.

Pearson was charged with second-degree murder and other counts. He is being held without bond in Virginia jail.