Five years after shooting, Raleigh County murder suspect enters plea

BECKLEY, W.Va. (WVVA) - A man originally charged with first-degree murder following a fatal shooting in Dameron in December of 2018, was sentenced on Thursday after pleading guilty to murder in the second-degree.

According to a release from the Raleigh County Sheriff’s Dept. in 2018, Leon Lucas, 63, was originally charged in the shooting death of Travis Hall.

After pleading guilty to second-degree murder on Thursday, Lucas was sentenced to serve the next 15 years on home confinement due to his declining health.

On Friday, Raleigh County’s Chief Public Defender, Stacey Fragile, said she was pleased with the outcome:

“My office is happy with the court’s decision in this case. Mr. Lucas took responsibility for this incident from the beginning. There were many moving parts to this case that had been presented to the court over the pendency of this matter and I believe the court properly weighed all of that when deciding on a sentence. We feel this plea and the sentence handed down by the court were fair and just when the case is looked at in its entirety. I am proud of my team and their work not only on this case but in all the cases they handle on a daily basis.”

Raleigh County Assistant Prosecutor Josh Thompson, who handled the case for the prosecution, was also satisfied with the outcome:

“On March 2, 2023, the Raleigh County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office secured a conviction for 2nd degree murder in the State of West Virginia v. Leon Lucas. Due to the defendant’s limited intellect, declining health and advanced age, the Court sentenced convicted murderer, Leon Lucas, to a determinate sentence of 15 years to be served on home confinement.”

A conviction on second-degree murder typically carries a ten-year prison with exceptions made in extraordinary circumstances. Lucas had already been given five years credit for time served while in Southern Regional Jail (SRJ).