NORFOLK, VA — A Norfolk man has been sentenced to more than two decades behind bars following a violent 2023 home invasion in Campostella Heights.
On Friday, James Davis Kennedy, 41, received a 22½-year prison sentence after being found guilty of multiple charges, including armed robbery, abduction, and conspiracy. He also pleaded guilty to possessing fentanyl at the time of his arrest.
The incident happened on July 17, 2023, when Kennedy and an unidentified accomplice targeted a home under the guise of a utility check. The accomplice, dressed as a utility worker with a hard hat, knocked on the door, claiming to investigate a gas leak. When the first victim, concerned about a recent gas smell, let him in, the situation quickly turned dangerous.
Once inside, the accomplice convinced the victim to open the back door—where Kennedy, masked and armed, was waiting. The two men forced the victim to the kitchen floor at gunpoint. They then woke a second victim, also at gunpoint, and forced him into the kitchen as well.
During the ordeal, the first victim managed to talk the intruders into letting him take his barking dog outside. Seizing the opportunity, he ran to the front of the house, jumped into the suspects’ getaway car—which they’d left running—and drove around the corner to call police.
Back inside, Kennedy and his accomplice stole thousands in cash, a handgun, and other valuables. When they realized their car was gone, both fled on foot. The second victim grabbed a gun left behind by one of the intruders and chased after them. A brief shootout followed, but no one was injured.
Police quickly identified Kennedy because the getaway car contained his cell phone and personal documents, and the vehicle was registered to a family member. Officers arrested him on August 3, 2023, at that relative’s home. At the time of his arrest, Kennedy—already a convicted felon—was also found with fentanyl.
In October 2024, a jury convicted Kennedy of:
- Armed robbery
- Conspiracy to commit armed robbery
- Use of a firearm in the commission of robbery
- Two counts of abduction
He later pleaded guilty to the drug possession charge.
On Friday, Judge Mary Jane Hall sentenced Kennedy to 22 years and six months in prison, with an additional 32 years and six months suspended, contingent on 10 years of good behavior and supervised probation after his release. Due to the lengthy sentence, the prosecution dropped the remaining charge of felon in possession of a firearm.
Commonwealth’s Attorney Ramin Fatehi praised both the victims and law enforcement:
“Home-invasion robberies are some of the most dangerous and frightening crimes anyone could commit. These offenses are violent in nature and carry the risk of injury or death for the victims and the wrongdoers alike. I am proud of the work of the Norfolk Police and of my trial team in taking this difficult case to a jury and to the victims for their willingness to come to court and help us secure these convictions.”
Kennedy will remain incarcerated until at least his late 60s, serving a sentence that reflects the violent nature of the crime and his criminal history.