Jury trial begins Tuesday for Waynesboro man charged with murder
Jacob P. Sipe, 24, pleaded not guilty on March 14 during his arraignment to charges of first-degree murder, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, shooting at or into an occupied dwelling, and misdemeanor contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
Sipe is accused of killing 33-year-old Trevor Hill of Waynesboro on the front porch of his James Avenue home the morning of July 23. Hill's 2-year-old son was in the residence at the time of the killing, resulting in the contributing charge.
The two men spent several hours together before the shooting, with Sipe arriving at Hill's home at 1 a.m. Sipe admitted to drinking liquor and using cocaine while at Hill's before falling asleep, according to court documents. He claimed he awoke to Hill screaming at him and said Hill began punching him.
"I was fearful," Sipe said in a comment that was picked up by a Waynesboro police officer's body camera.
The shooting took place at about 9 a.m.
Sipe, who stayed at the scene, told a police officer he thought he "had no choice." When asked how many times he pulled the trigger, he estimated seven times and said Hill fell after the third shot.
Hill was shot multiple times with a Beretta APX handgun.
Sipe's nose was fractured during the incident. It was also revealed at an October bond hearing that Sipe became a father five days before the killing after his son was born prematurely and had to be hospitalized, his attorney said.
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Augusta County Commonwealth's Attorney Tim Martin is handling the case as a special prosecutor, along with Augusta County Deputy Commonwealth's Attorney Alexandra Meador, after Waynesboro Commonwealth's Attorney David Ledbetter and his staff stepped aside in August because of an undisclosed conflict of interest.
At the bond hearing, Martin noted multiple shots were fired at Hill, and said most of them came from a distance. The prosecutor said a trail of shell casings led to Hill's body on the porch, with the last shot reportedly coming from relatively close range.
"He emptied his gun into his friend while high on cocaine and alcohol," Martin said at the hearing.
Denied bond, Sipe remains at Middle River Regional Jail in Verona.
The murder trial will be held in Waynesboro Circuit Court with jury selection beginning Tuesday morning. The trial is scheduled to conclude Thursday.
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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: Three-day murder trial set to start Tuesday in Waynesboro
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