U.S. EDITIONTHEWEEKLYOBSERVER.COM

HOME  /  US  /  SCOTLAND NECK, N.C.

US · CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, VA

Woman Wanted in Killing of Two VDOT Workers Captured After Seven-Week, Two-State Manhunt

Dennikia Boyce was taken into custody in rural North Carolina, ending a cross-state search for the shooting deaths of two Virginia road-crew contractors that U.S. Marshals had escalated to 'Major Case' status.

OS

BY OBSERVER STAFF

The Weekly Observer

SEP 12, 2026 · 3 MIN READ
fXinEMAIL
Woman Wanted in Killing of Two VDOT Workers Captured After Seven-Week, Two-State Manhunt
Handcuffs. File photo, not from the actual case. (Photo: COPPERTIST WU / Unsplash)

A woman wanted in the fatal shooting of two Virginia Department of Transportation contractors was arrested without incident Friday morning in rural North Carolina, ending a seven-week manhunt that spanned two states and drew a $10,000 federal reward.

Dennikia Rachelle Boyce, 37, was taken into custody just after 10 a.m. Sept. 11 at a home in the 500 block of House Avenue in Scotland Neck, North Carolina, according to Hoodline. U.S. Marshals had escalated the case to "Major Case" status on Aug. 7.

Boyce is accused of opening fire July 24 at a VDOT equipment staging area near U.S. Route 1 and Virginia 288 in Chesterfield County, killing Rai'Shon Eugene DeLarge, 30, of Woodbridge, Virginia, and Phillip Avery Wilson, 34, of Emporia, Virginia, according to WRIC ABC 8News. DeLarge was pronounced dead at the scene; Wilson died later at a hospital.

A Birthday Weekend Turned Tragic

U.S. Marshals describe the case as domestic-violence related, and local outlets have reported Boyce had recently ended a romantic relationship with one of the victims — a detail authorities have not yet confirmed in an official statement. Family members have told reporters that DeLarge was killed during his 5-year-old daughter's birthday weekend.

SEVEN WEEKS, TWO STATES, ONE ARREST.

Investigators say Boyce fled the scene in a blue Honda Accord, triggering a search that stretched from central Virginia into North Carolina before tips led marshals to the House Avenue address, according to WTVR CBS 6.

Boyce now faces two counts of second-degree murder in Virginia along with a federal charge of unlawful flight to avoid prosecution.

What's Next

Boyce is being held in North Carolina pending extradition proceedings back to Chesterfield County, where she is expected to face the state murder charges. No court date has been publicly set.

SHARE THIS STORY