A Virginia man has learned his fate after shooting and killing his former best friend in a violent case centered on an apparent love triangle.
Dustin Dove, 24, was sentenced to life in prison on Friday morning for the murder of 22-year-old Seth Wallace in May 2024, according to local media, including Harrisonburg ABC affiliate WHSV.
A jury convicted Dove of first-degree murder in April, despite the fact that he was initially charged with second-degree murder, according to court records. Dove’s defense team reportedly admitted that he shot Wallace, but stated that he intended to injure, not kill. Wallace died of his injuries less than three weeks after being shot.
The shooting occurred on May 24, 2024, but the story goes back further. According to Waynesboro Circuit Court, Dove and Wallace met in 2022 at a Harrisonburg bar and became “inseparable,” spending all of their time together. However, everything changed in January 2024, when Dove was arrested and convicted of drug charges, according to his defense attorney.
According to the defense attorney, Wallace was “inappropriate” with Dove’s girlfriend, 22-year-old Kaylee Turner, implying a complicated love triangle between the three people. Turner allegedly informed Dove about Wallace’s behavior, and they decided to “cut Seth out of their lives.”
Dove was reportedly released from jail, but he violated his parole in May by testing positive for drugs. With a return to jail looming, Wallace began to “manipulate” Turner by claiming Dove had been cheating on her, according to her defense attorney. When Dove learned of this, her charged emotions were said to have escalated even further.
The two men sent “nasty, mean things” to each other, according to the defense attorney, with Wallace allegedly referring to Dove’s mother’s cancer diagnosis. The text messages continued until May 24, just hours before Wallace was shot.
According to WHSV, a digital forensics expert read aloud the messages in court, which included phrases like “Dog, I’m going to destroy you” and “I’m going to get away with it.” At one point, Dove was said to have recorded videos wearing a mask and holding the AR-15-style rifle used in the shooting.
Then came the shooting. According to prosecutors, Dove and Turner drove to Wallace’s home on D Street in Waynesboro around 4 a.m. on May 24, 2024. Dove hid in a place where he could see Wallace, and when he did, he fired his gun. Fifteen bullet casings were later discovered, eight of which were linked to bullets that penetrated the victim’s skin.
Prosecutors said Wallace’s bullet wounds were mostly concentrated around his groin and lower torso. Body camera footage from responding Waynesboro police officers showed the victim struggling with gunshot wounds but remaining responsive.
“Who shot you?” one of them inquired.
“Dustin … Dustin,” he replied, identifying Dove and resulting in his arrest the next day. Wallace’s wounds eventually became infected, resulting in septic shock and death.
The Waynesboro Police Department confirmed Dove’s arrest on May 25, 2024. It reportedly occurred after he and Turner drove to West Virginia to see her father and discuss the murder.
Months after Wallace died, Dove is said to have written a rap song and sung it over a jail phone line, with phrases like “I don’t duck murders” and “He was my best friend, now he’s dead meat.”
Turner was also scheduled to appear in court on Friday for a plea agreement, having previously faced charges of accessory to first-degree murder and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony.
Wallace’s GoFundMe page stated that he was too “young to be taken” by a “act of hatred” and was “just starting” to really enjoy “life as a young man.”
