Va. man charged with murder days after arrest for stealing NC man’s car

RALEIGH, NC (WTVD) — Raleigh police announced Thursday afternoon that they believe the body of William “Andy” Banks, a 39-year-old man who went missing over the weekend, has been found in Virginia.

And later on Thursday, court records showed Justin Fernando Merritt, who was arrested earlier in the week for allegedly stealing Banks’ car, was charged with murder.

Justin Fernando Merritt was charged with robbery, larceny of motor vehicle and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

The body was found with assistance from the Pittsylvania County Sheriff’s Office, police said. It will be sent to the coroner in Roanoke, Virginia, for autopsy and positive identification.

Banks has not been seen or heard from since Saturday when he told friends he was going to the Cameron Village area to meet a man who was interested in buying his SUV.

“Andy would have gladly handed them the keys to that car if it meant he got to live,” friend Cliff Cash told ABC11 on Thursday upon hearing the news. ” He would have done everything he could to talk his way out of it.”

Banks’ 2011 Range Rover, which he was trying to sell, was found Monday afternoon in Danville, Virginia. On Tuesday, Merritt, 34, was arrested and charged with stealing Banks’ vehicle.

Read more here.