WAYNESBORO — Opening arguments were heard and several witnesses took the stand Tuesday on day one of a scheduled three-day jury trial for Jacob P. Sipe, a 24-year-old Waynesboro man charged with first-degree murder.
Sipe is accused of shooting 33-year-old Trevor Hill the morning of July 23 at 417 James Avenue in Waynesboro. Hill’s 2-year-old son was inside the residence at the time of the killing.
Jacob P. Sipe.
During opening arguments Tuesday in Waynesboro Circuit Court, prosecutor Timothy Martin said Hill was shot six times on his front porch. Testimony showed he was hit in the face, chest, lower abdomen, groin, his left hip and leg.
The shooting took place around 9 a.m. after the two friends spent the night partying on Hill’s front porch. “He and Trevor spent the evening together, using cocaine, drinking alcohol,” Martin said.
Defense attorney Benjamin Beliles said during his opening argument the two men were having a good time prior to the shooting. He claimed Hill, who he said sold Sipe cocaine that night, attacked his client for unknown reasons. “This trial is about why Jacob had to kill Trevor,” he said.
Hill was unarmed.
Neighbor Skyler Tyler took the stand and testified she heard several gunshots the morning of July 23. When she looked out of her window from the second floor of her home, she said Hill was facedown on the porch and Sipe was standing over his body with a gun, berating him with profanities.
Tyler also told the jury that Sipe began overturning pieces of furniture on the porch after the killing.
Under questioning by Beliles, Tyler admitted to posting on social media after the shooting on Facebook, where she called Sipe an “evil human being” who she hopes “rots in hell.” When Beliles brought up the possibility of self-defense, Tyler said, “I still don’t think that warrants somebody shooting someone in front of their child.”
Joseph Caul, 26, who described himself as having special needs, said he visited Hill and Sipe at about 6 a.m. after finishing his shift at a local convenience store. Caul, who stayed for about an hour, said Sipe, who he didn’t know, used cocaine in front of him, which he said he felt bothered Hill because of his body language. He also said Sipe bragged about having “shooters” and described his demeanor as “angry.”
A couple of hours later, Hill was dead.
Photos of Trevor Hill and his son were displayed on a van that was parked outside of the Waynesboro Courthouse on Tuesday, March 25, 2025.
Cpl. J.W. Moore, of the Waynesboro Police Department, testified that when he arrived at the scene Hill didn’t have a pulse. “He was shot through the face and the chest,” he said.
When Det. Jesse Shaver observed Hill, he said his eyes were were turning gray. “I knew pretty well he was DOA at that point,” he said.
A tooth and a bone fragment were found on the porch. A digital scale was discovered in Hill’s pocket, along with the corner of a plastic bag and crumpled cash, according to testimony.
Various snippets of body camera footage from police were played for the jury. During his opening argument, Martin showed video of Hill’s 2-year-old son screaming “Daddy! Daddy!” One juror openly wept as the footage was played.
In other footage, Sipe, who stayed at the scene, was questioned by police and appeared calm, even chuckling at times. He claimed he fell asleep and awoke to Hill punching him, and said he responded by emptying his pistol. “I didn’t know what else to do,” he said.
Sipe’s nose was fractured in at least two places, Beliles said. Testimony showed he left a blood trail at the scene.
Sipe said Hill made racial comments while hitting him. “We were friends. At least I thought so before he started attacking me,” he said on camera.
Sipe admitted to shooting Hill and said he fell on the third shot. “I thought I had no choice,” he said at the scene. Numerous shell casings were found, including one underneath the victim, testimony showed.
Sipe, though, couldn’t recall the entire incident while being questioned and said he struck his head at one point. “I hit the concrete,” Sipe said on the footage. “And I really don’t remember much after that.”
He’s accused of killing Hill with a Beretta 9mm semi-automatic handgun that he legally bought in January 2024. It was found on the porch.
The two men had reportedly been friends for several years. “I loved the dude,” Sipe said to a police officer.
The defense team of Beliles and Michael La Fratta have yet to present their case.
Sipe is also facing charges of use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, shooting at or into an occupied dwelling, and misdemeanor contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
The trial is scheduled to end Thursday.
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Brad Zinn is the cops, courts and breaking news reporter at The News Leader. Have a news tip? Or something that needs investigating? You can email reporter Brad Zinn (he/him) at bzinn@newsleader.com. You can also follow him on X (formerly Twitter).
This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: Man accused in Waynesboro killing goes on trial
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