Woodbridge man convicted of first-degree murder

By Amanda Stewart

Published: June 9, 2008

A Woodbridge man was convicted of first-degree murder this afternoon for his role in the shooting death of a 19-year-old man in the Queensdale area of Dale City.

Anthony Terrell Horne, 20, was found guilty in Prince William Circuit Court of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder and use of a firearm in commission of a felony.

Horne is one of three men who have been charged in the July 14 death of Ashlee Devon Brown-Houston, who was shot while walking along Queensdale Drive.

According to court testimony Monday, there had been “bad blood” between Brown-Houston, Horne and their friends for about a year before the shooting.

Horne testified that a few weeks before the shooting, Brown-Houston and about 10 other men attacked Horne and Joseph Burnette.

On the day of the shooting, Horne, Burnette and a third man were at the food court at Potomac Mills mall when they saw Brown-Houston and another man.

The two groups of men went outside into the mall parking lot to fight, but only words were exchanged then, witnesses said.

Brown-Houston and his friend went back into the mall and the other men waited in the parking lot.

Later, when Brown-Houston caught a bus outside the mall, the men who had been waiting in the car followed them until he the other man got off in the Mapledale Plaza-area.

When their car pulled up next to Brown-Houston on Queensdale Drive, both men fired shots that hit and killed Brown-Houston, witnesses said.

In his testimony Monday Horne said that he fired his gun after Burnette fired the first shot.

“That’s when I panicked and, not particularly firing at anyone, I shot,” he said.

Horne is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 24.