Travis Isbell Obituary, Death; – A man has been sentenced to 28 years in prison following his conviction for a murder that occurred in Roanoke in 2022, as reported by John McNeil Jr., the Chief Assistant Commonwealth Attorney for Roanoke City.
Matthew Aldridge entered a no contest plea to a charge of second-degree murder on Friday and received a 40-year prison sentence, with 28 years to be served before the remainder is suspended. Upon his release, Aldridge will be subject to two years of probation, according to McNeil.
The remains of 33-year-old Travis Isbell were discovered in the Roanoke River on June 28, 2022, with the cause of death identified as blunt force trauma to the head, as stated by the Roanoke Police Department. Initially, authorities believed Isbell’s death to be accidental until they received a tip in January 2024.
This tip indicated that Aldridge had murdered Isbell in a residence on Salem Turnpike, and investigators uncovered Facebook messages from Aldridge that were deemed incriminating, according to McNeil.
Furthermore, McNeil noted that Aldridge admitted to fatally striking Isbell in the head with a hammer during an interview with a detective from the Roanoke City Police. At the time of this interview, Aldridge was already in custody in New Hampshire on unrelated drug charges and was subsequently extradited to Roanoke.
