Man charged with murder pleads not guilty to robbery charge

By Linda Cicoira

     The suspect in a 2019 murder case pleaded not guilty at an arraignment in Accomack Circuit Court Thursday on charges that accuse him of robbing the Shore Stop in Accomac at gunpoint in April.

     Twenty-seven-year-old Eric Bruno Custis Jr., with addresses on Dogwood Drive in Onancock and Wharton Circle in Greenbush, asked for a jury trial. He is being held in Accomack Jail.

      Custis recently entered pleas of not guilty to second-degree murder and use of a firearm in connection with the shooting death of 19-year-old Tayvion Laquan “Tay Man” Smith. That crime occurred on Dec. 13, 2019.

     A new lawyer was recently appointed for Custis, who waived his right to a speedy trial in the murder case. The victim was a 2019 graduate of Arcadia High School and worked at Perdue Farms.

     Trial dates have not been set.