A man from Norfolk who was convicted of killing two individuals in Virginia Beach received his sentencing on Tuesday, which included three life terms in jail along with an additional 35 years.
During the sentencing, seven family members and friends of the two victims were called upon to testify. Among them, Hill’s father, Calvin Hill, delivered some of the most impactful testimony.
As he mourned the loss of his daughter, he struggled to find the right word to accurately describe the person responsible for her death.
“He said that you are inherently evil,” shared Annetta Baxter as she recounted the passing of her father, Clifton, at the age of 72. Baxter also mentioned how her father had bravely served in Vietnam and raised Beale.”
In the last moments of his life, Clifton Baxter was battling cancer, and it was beyond the imagination of both his daughter and sister that his life would come to a violent end. The presiding judge, James Lewis, deemed the case to be truly awful.
Beale was on the receiving end of a sharp rebuke from Lewis, who expressed his disbelief at the former’s lack of concern for human life. “I’ve never seen someone with lower regard for human life,” Lewis told Beale.
B’onka Hill, the mother of Czavi’er Hill, did not hold back her anger towards Cola Beale, the man responsible for her daughter’s death. With a piercing look towards the defense table, she dared Beale to look into her eyes with the same bravery he had when he pointed the gun at her daughter. B’onka went on to share how her daughter had achieved remarkable feats at a young age, such as buying a house at the age of 25.
She expressed her disgust towards him saying, “You are an evil, hateful, narcissistic coward. You’re just a little boy, and real men don’t kill.”
While Clifton Baxter was sleeping on his couch, Beale took his life by shooting him. It is worth noting that Baxter was the one who raised Beale.
During the court proceedings, the judge heard firsthand from Baxter’s sister about the devastating effects of losing her beloved brother.
Sherry Banks-Edwards expressed her disappointment towards Beale by stating, “Open your eyes because I want you to see me.” She further added that she had played a significant role in raising Beale as she used to babysit him and treated him like family. She couldn’t believe that he would harm someone so close to him.
During his trial, Beale admitted to the judge that he was not in the right mental state when he carried out the two murders. Beale expressed his remorse, stating, “What I did haunts me every day.”
“I heard someone in the gallery saying ‘Good’,” remarked an onlooker.
Due to parole violations that resurrected suspended sentences from previous cases, Lewis extended the time.
On May 22, Beale received a first-degree murder conviction for the shooting death of his cousin Downing McLean in March 2022, which occurred just three days after the Virginia Beach killings.
According to the police report, Beale stated that he had reached his “breaking point” following a disagreement with Hill.
Following the guilty verdict in March, Beale conveyed his remorse for his actions. He acknowledged that his apology could not undo what had occurred, stating, “I definitely apologize for everything that happened, but I know with what happened, an apology is not enough.”
The sentencing hearing for the murder of McLean has been scheduled for the month of August.