West Virginia Supreme Court affirms life sentence for Victor Thompson in 2021 Darren Salaam homicide case

Victor Lee Thompson's life sentence for the 2021 murder of Darren Salaam Sr. is upheld by the WV Supreme Court, affirming tattoo evidence and motive.

By: AXL Media

Published: Mar 16, 2026, 6:55 AM EDT

Source: Information for this report was sourced from News and Sentinel

Supreme Court Validates Motive Evidence in Homicide Appeal

The West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals has issued a decisive ruling maintaining the life sentence of Victor Lee Thompson, bringing a close to the legal challenges surrounding a high profile 2021 killing. Thompson’s legal team sought to overturn the conviction by arguing that the inclusion of booking photos displaying his swastika and Aryan Brotherhood tattoos was unfairly prejudicial. However, the court found that these images were essential for jurors to understand the underlying motive behind the mortal shooting of 36 year old Darren Salaam Sr., an Akron native, in Wood County.

Justice Trump Dismisses Concerns Over Odious Tattoo Evidence

Writing for the unanimous court, Justice Charles S. Trump IV acknowledged that while the defendant's tattoos are inherently odious, their relevance to the state's case outweighed their potential for prejudice. The prosecution successfully argued that the white supremacist imagery provided necessary context for the friction between the parties involved. The court's opinion clarified that in specific instances where identity or intent is contested, physical markers of affiliation can be introduced to help a jury determine the "why" behind a violent act, particularly when the victim belongs to a demographic targeted by such ideologies.

Emergency Witness Statements Ruled Admissible as Excited Utterances

A secondary pillar of Thompson’s appeal centered on statements made by a witness who was unavailable at the time of the trial. The defense contended these statements were hearsay, but the justices sided with the circuit court’s original determination. Justice Trump noted that the comments were made at a crime scene while the victim was still suffering and the perpetrator remained at large. Because these statements were intended to assist law enforcement during an ongoing public emergency rather than to preserve testimony for a later date, they qualified as "excited utterances" made under the immediate stress of a startling event.