Cook Sentenced to 20 Years for Teen’s Killing

Markal Cook, 21, was sentenced to 28 years in prison, with eight years suspended, for the fatal shooting of 15-year-old Jeyani Upshur at Virginia Beach’s Mount Trashmore Summer Carnival on May 25, 2024. A jury convicted Cook of second-degree murder and using a firearm in a felony after prosecutors said he fired into a group during a parking-lot fight, striking Upshur in the neck. Cook told the court he fired because he feared his half brother would be shot and said he did not intend to hit Upshur; he was also wounded in the incident. At sentencing, Upshur’s family described her as a caring and talented teenager and spoke about the lasting impact of her death.