Man guilty in young boxer's death

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) - A Hampton man could face up to 13 years in prison when he is sentenced in April for the shooting death of 22-year-old Cordaro Simpkins.

Eric Levon Davis, Jr., 23, was arrested Aug. 2, 2011 and charged with murder and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. Davis was found guilty Friday and the jury recommended he spend 10 years behind bars.

According to Macie Pridgen with the Commonwealth's Attorney's Office, both men had gone out at the Oceanfront on the evening of July 22, 2011 in separate groups.

The group Davis was with got into a fight with the group Simpkins was with that evening. Davis fired several shots into the air, then at the crowd of Simpkins and his friends. One of those bullets struck and killed Simpkins.

Pridgen said Davis and his group of friends fled the scene, leaving behind a cell phone that was traced back to Davis. He told investigators he did not mean to strike Simpkins, but wanted to help disperse the crowd.

“Cordaro Simpkins’ death was tragic and unnecessary,” Commonwealth's Attorney Harvey Bryant said.  “As opposed to a drive-by shooting, this was a walk-off shooting.”

Simpkins' family members told 10 On Your Side in 2011 he was a talented boxer who missed a spot on the U.S. Olympic team by one spot.