Investigators testified at a preliminary hearing in Virginia Beach Thursday against Cola W. Beale IV, who is accused in three homicides across Hampton Roads.
Hampton Roads seven largest cities have recorded a combined 62 killings between Jan. 1 and April 21, according to local police department data. That’s a jump of 15% from the 54 people slain in those cities through the same stretch of 2021.
Cola W. Beale IV, 30, was arrested just before midnight by the Hampton Police Division’s tactical team. He's been charged with murder in three separate killings including the death of one woman police have identified as Beale's girlfriend.