STAUNTON A suspect charged with killing a man last summer is now facing the possibility of life in prison after his murder charge was upgraded by the Staunton Commonwealth s Attorney s Office.
Last week, the Staunton grand jury indicted Daniel D. Mead, 34, on a first-degree murder charge in the slaying of 28-year-old Bradley A. Maurice, who was stabbed in the chest at the Springhill Village Apartments during the afternoon of June 14.
Mead was initially charged with second-degree murder. However, after hearing evidence during a preliminary hearing in March, the Staunton prosecutor s office upgraded the charge to first-degree murder.
At Mead s prelim, evidence showed Maurice had been kicked out of the Valley Mission, a Staunton homeless shelter, the same day he was slain. According to the testimony of Chasity Agee, Maurice s partner, the couple and their three children were picked up by Mead and taken to his apartment after he d promised them a temporary place to stay.