Man killed woman on trail days after her 18th birthday, Virginia officials say
A Virginia man is convicted of shooting and killing a woman whom he had been romantically involved with, officials said.
Three days after her 18th birthday, Aonesty Selby was found dead on a hiking trail near the Blue Ridge Parkway on Jan. 13, 2023, according to the Isle of Wight County Sheriff’s Office, WTKR reported.
She had a single gunshot wound when she was found after her family reported her missing after not seeing or hearing from her in days, WAVY reported.
According to an investigation, Selby rode in an Uber to meet Andarius McClelland, who was 21 at the time of the shooting, and he told officers he and Selby had been dating “off and on” for two months, the outlet reported.
Deputies said McClelland admitted to shooting Selby during an argument and was arrested and charged with murder, WTKR and WVEC reported.
Now, more than two years later, McClelland has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and use or display of a firearm in committing a felony, WVEC reported. A first-degree murder charge was suspended as part of the plea agreement, according to the outlet.
“What he took from me, I can never get back,” Amanda Mercer, Selby’s mother, told WVEC. “I just want to make sure he never gets to take anything else from anybody else.”
Selby was remembered as “loving, kind, respectful and extremely funny” in an online memorial.
“She had the type of personality that would light up a room and draw people to her,” according to her obituary.
McClelland is set to be sentenced in November and faces a maximum of 43 years in prison, according to reports.
Isle of Wight County is about a 75-mile drive southeast from Richmond.
This story was originally published July 10, 2025 at 2:53 PM with the headline "Man killed woman on trail days after her 18th birthday, Virginia officials say."
