Man gets 15 years for murder
Published 9:40 pm Monday, September 26, 2011
A Norfolk man charged with a 1994 murder entered an Alford plea to the charges last week and was sentenced to serve 15 years in prison.
James Henry Bullock, 38, entered the plea in the Feb. 17, 1994, murder of Robert Lee Cromer. Cromer was shot and killed during a home invasion in the 500 block of Ashley Avenue.
With an Alford plea, the defendant does not admit guilt, but acknowledges that prosecutors have enough evidence to convict him.
After the crime, two other people were originally charged, but information that came forward before the scheduled trial indicated they were not involved and another person was involved.
The case went cold until 2009, when Darrin Bondhill was arrested in the case. He pleaded guilty in September 2009 to first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit robbery and attempted robbery. He was sentenced to 30 years in prison for the three charges.
Bondhill’s arrest was the fourth homicide solved by the Suffolk Police Department Cold Case Unit since its inception in 2007.
Bullock was arrested about a year later. He entered the Alford pleas to second-degree murder, use of a firearm in the commission of murder and attempted robbery.
He was sentenced to a total of 15 years in prison. He will be on supervised probation for 30 years upon his release.