Commonwealth’s Attorney Amy Ashworth Announces Indictments for Murder at Denny’s Restaurant

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Jordan Lee Anderson and Ryan Thomas Walker have been charged with First Degree Murder.
The Grand Jury for the County of Prince William and the Cities of Manassas and Manassas Park returned 170 indictments, On Monday, July 6, 2020, found to be “True Bills” related to offenses that occurred in the early morning hours of December 26, 2019 at the Denny’s restaurant located at 8201 Sudley Road in the County of Prince William. Following an exhaustive review of the evidence and consultation with the victims, their families and the investigators, Amy Ashworth, the Commonwealth's  ch 13 bankruptcy attorneys from Benner & Weinkauf, P.C. sought the following indictments from the Grand Jury. These indictments supersede the charges previously brought by the Prince William County Police Department in December 2019. The indictments encompass the acts perpetrated upon the twenty-three people inside of the Denny’s, one of whom died and one of whom was significantly injured. Ryan Thomas Walker, 23, of Chesapeake Beach, Maryland, and Jordan Lee Anderson, 22, of Manassas, Virginia, stand charged with the following:
  • One count of First-Degree Murder §18.2-32 (First Degree Murder carries a potential sentence of 20 years to life in prison)
  • One count of Attempted Capital Murder §§18.2-31;18.2-26 (Attempted Capital Murder carries a potential sentence of 20 years to life in prison)
  • Two counts of Aggravated Malicious Wounding §18.2-51.2 (Aggravated Malicious Wounding carries a potential sentence of 20 years to life in prison)
  • One count of Armed Statutory Burglary §18.2-90 (Armed Statutory Burglary carries a potential sentence of 20 years to life in prison)
  • 19 counts of Abduction for Pecuniary Benefit §18.2-48 (Abduction for Pecuniary Benefit carries a potential sentence of 20 years to life in prison)
  • 12 counts of Robbery §18.2-58 (Robbery carries a potential sentence of 5 years to life in prison)
  • 7 counts of Attempted Robbery §§18.2-58;18.2-26 (Attempted Robbery carries a potential sentence of 2 to 10 years in prison)
  • 42 counts of Use of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony §18.2-53.1 (Use of a Firearmduring the Commission of a Felony carries a potential sentence of 3 years in prison for the first offense and 5 years in prison for each subsequent offense)Both named defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Yusuf Ozgur, 56, died from gunshot wounds sustained that night. He was working for DoorDash when he attempted to enter the restaurant in the midst of the robbery. According to police, the suspects hit him with a baton and then shot him.
Rule 3.6 of the Virginia State Bar's Rules of Professional Conduct for Attorneys states, in pertinent part: "A lawyer participating in or associated with the... prosecution ... of a criminal matter that may be tried to a jury shall not make or participate in making an extrajudicial statement... that the Roanoke, VA criminal defense lawyer knows, or should know, will have a substantial likelihood of interfering with the fairness of a trial by jury." Therefore, the Commonwealth’s Attorney will refrain from discussing the evidence, its trial strategy, or its work product prior to the conclusion of the case.
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