MANASSAS, Va. — A man who helped rob a Denny's restaurant leading to a deadly shooting was sentenced after pleading guilty to multiple charges, including felony murder.
Ryan Walker and Jordan Anderson walked into a Denny's restaurant on Sudley Road in Manassas around 2:30 a.m. on December 26, 2019. While there, Walker and Anderson held employees and customers against their will while trying to get money from the cash register. When Anderson was leaving, he shot one of the customers while Walker hit Yusuf Ozgur, a food delivery driver, in the head with an ASP baton. Anderson then shot the delivery driver, who later died from his injuries.
Anderson was found guilty in September 2022 of killing Ozgur and other charges. In June 2023, Anderson was sentenced to more than 80 years behind bars. The Virginia Department of Corrections website has his release date scheduled for May 2107.
According to Prince William County Commonwealth’s Attorney Amy Ashworth, Walker pleaded guilty in court on Jan. 3 to felony murder, aggravated malicious wounding, statutory burglary while armed, attempted robbery and two probation violations. He was sentenced to 50 years and two life sentences in a state penitentiary. The judge suspended 35 years and all but two years of the life sentences, meaning Walker will spend 17 years behind bars. He will also be placed on probation for five years following his release.
Ashworth says the sentence is conditioned upon Walker's uniform good behavior for life. If he breaks the law again, he could be sent back to prison for the rest of his life.
“While this plea spares the victims and their families from the trauma of another prolonged trial and the reliving of the events of December 26, 2019, it does not diminish the gravity of the offenses committed that night," said Ashworth. "Our commitment to justice remains unwavering as we move forward to ensure accountability for the senseless violence and loss inflicted upon the community by these two individuals.”
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