NORFOLK, Va. — A Norfolk man is heading to prison after breaking into a Ghent video game store, stealing over $1,000 worth of merchandise, and leaving behind something that would seal his fate: his own blood.
Brian Montaez Williams, 38, was sentenced on Friday, Nov. 7, to four years in prison after pleading guilty to felony burglary, grand larceny, and misdemeanor vandalism.
The break-in happened late on May 16, 2024, when Williams smashed through the front window of a video game store on Colonial Avenue. Once inside, he vandalized the shop and stole various gaming consoles and accessories. He tried to hide his identity by covering his face — but he injured himself during the burglary and bled at the scene.
Forensic investigators collected blood samples, and a match came back from the state’s DNA databank. Williams was already in the system due to previous convictions for burglary and theft.
Williams was arrested, and on July 28, 2025, he entered a guilty plea. Unlike some plea deals, this one didn’t include a set sentence. That decision was left to Judge Devon R. Paige, who heard both sides on Nov. 7 before delivering the sentence.
Prosecutors pushed for a four-year sentence, arguing that Williams had a long pattern of similar crimes and that state sentencing guidelines supported that range. His defense attorney asked for leniency, pointing to Williams’s struggles with substance abuse and recent efforts to get clean.
Judge Paige gave Williams four years of active prison time, and suspended another 12 years—as long as Williams stays out of trouble for five years after release and complies with supervised probation.
Norfolk Commonwealth’s Attorney Ramin Fatehi said the burglary caused real harm to a small local business.
“Whether it was a substance-use disorder or something else that motivated Mr. Williams to burglarize a small business in Norfolk, Mr. Williams victimized another person by doing so, and he had no excuse for it,” said Fatehi. “I hope that Mr. Williams makes use of the resources available in the Department of Corrections and on probation to get a hold of his drug problem… so that he can lead a productive and crime-free life in the future.”