West Augusta man pleads guilty to being an accessory after the fact in shooting
STAUNTON — A West Augusta man was sentenced Monday for his role in a shooting that injured two partygoers last summer.
Appearing in Augusta County Circuit Court on Monday, Matthew T. Cassell, 20, had a malicious wounding charge amended to a misdemeanor charge of being an accessory after the fact. He pleaded guilty to the lone charge. Three additional charges - aggravated malicious wounding and two gun charges - were not prosecuted in a plea deal with the Augusta County Commonwealth's Attorney's Office.
Cassell's cousin, who was the shooter in the incident, was sentenced to 10 years in prison on Feb. 6.
The shooting took place the night of June 22 at 17 Buffalo Gap Highway in Churchville, where two female teenagers, ages 17 and 19, were wounded. Both victims were shot in the leg. The 19-year-old's injuries were more severe and she was flown to UVA Health in Charlottesville. Her leg was shattered in the shooting, and she had to learn to walk again after having a metal rod and screws placed in her leg. The other victim was shot above the ankle.
The Cassells were part of a group that had gone to a small party that night but were asked to leave. With Matthew Cassell driving a Ford Mustang, Isaiah Cassell leaned over the roof of the car as it was leaving and fired into the crowd after grabbing his cousin's gun, according to previous testimony.
Matthew Cassell continued driving away from the scene, ultimately resulting in the accessory charge. In the plea deal, he was sentenced to 12 months in jail with four months suspended, leaving him with an eight-month sentence that he already served. He was represented by Hannah Coffman of the Staunton Public Defender's Office.
Augusta County Deputy Commonwealth's Attorney Alexandra Meador said Mathew Cassell fully cooperated with authorities following his arrest, and said his version of events were corroborated by witnesses at the scene.
"We believe he did not share the intent of the shooter at all," Meador said Monday following the conclusion of the case.
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Brad Zinn is the cops, courts and breaking news reporter at The News Leader. Have a news tip? Or something that needs investigating? You can email reporter Brad Zinn (he/him) at bzinn@newsleader.com. You can also follow him on X (formerly Twitter)
This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: West Augusta man pleads guilty in shooting case
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