NORFOLK, Va.— Right now police are searching for a Norfolk man found guilty of several charges in the death of ODU student Christopher Cummings.
We spoke with the father of the former student who says he just wants justice for his son.
The father tells News 3 he's been at every court hearing since the murder of his son in 2011, and last week 29-year-old Rashad Dooley, one of the men accused of killing Christopher Cummings, did not show up to court for his verdict.
"When he didn't show up I wasn't completely surprised. The interaction between Mr. Dooley and his lawyer, I can tell that he was Mr. Dooley was upset with his attorney. I think he felt like he wasn't getting the best defense he can get," said James Cummings, father of Christopher Cummings.
Four people were arrested in connection with the decade-old homicide, where Cummings was found murdered inside of a home. Out of the 4 arrested, Rashad Dooley was charged with first-degree murder and 12 other felonies in the killing of Cummings, and the wounding of Cummings' roommate at the home on West 42nd street. However, Dooley has been found guilty of conspiracy, but not murder.
Last Wednesday, a jury convicted Dooley of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit robbery, and attempted robbery.
"My son didn't commit suicide, someone had to kill him. I was hoping that Mr. Dooley would've been charged with his murder," said Cummings.
But Dooley was not in court when the verdict was announced. I caught up with Dooley's attorney who tells me he received a text from Dooley saying, "He had to pick up his daughter, can you get the verdict for me."
"I certainly do hope he's found and put in jail. I also hope that he realized he's only making it worse for himself," said Cummings.
News 3 reached out to Norfolk Police for any new updates or leads on the whereabouts of Rashad Dooley. As of now, police say they're still looking, leading the judge to take away Dooley's bond and issue a warrant for his arrest.
"Christopher was such a great kid. He was my only son and I loved him to death," said Cummings.
Cummings was the nephew of Elijah Cummings, the late congressman from Maryland. His father tells me Christopher was studying criminal justice at ODU and misses the special moments he had with him growing up, but he believes trouble found him.
"I just think he wasn't prepared for the mean streets of Norfolk. He was raised in a different community," said Cummings.
Dooley's sentencing is set for December where he could face up to 30 years behind bars and a reward of up to $1,000 is being offered for information that could lead to his arrest.
