VIRGINIA BEACH — A Nicaragua citizen charged last weekend with killing a 20-year-old man outside a Virginia Beach nightclub has had a detainer placed on him by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, according to a jail spokeswoman.
Cesar Bermudez Evans, 21, is accused of fatally shooting Juelle Morton outside Central III Tapas and Lounge on North Great Neck Road. He was arrested Sunday and is being held without bond on charges of second-degree murder and using a firearm to commit a felony.
Police said video obtained from the nightclub shows Bermudez Evans got out of vehicle around 2:15 a.m., approached Morton with a gun, then shot him several times. Morton, a Newport News resident, was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Virginia Beach Sheriff’s Office ran a routine query on Bermudez Evans after learning he was born outside the United States, spokeswoman Toni Guagenti said. The office then notified ICE officials as required.
“When an individual is taken into VBSO custody and identified as not being born in the United States or a U.S. territory, ICE is promptly notified,” she wrote in an email. “If ICE deems necessary, a detainer will be issued.”
Bermudez Evans, however, will remain in Virginia Beach custody until after all state and local charges are satisfied, she said.
The Nicaraguan citizen is not the only ICE detainee at the jail, Guagenti said. At least one other inmate, Erwin Marroquin-Herrera, has a detainer placed on him. The Guatemalan citizen is charged with involuntary manslaughter, driving while intoxicated, driving without a license and possessing a fake driver’s license.
According to police, Marroquin-Herrera, 25, was driving the wrong way on London Bridge Road around 2:20 a.m. Aug. 23 when he crashed into a vehicle being driven by Steven White II. The 37-year-old Norfolk man was pronounced dead at the scene. Marroquin-Herrera and a passenger in his car were taken to a hospital with serious injuries, and Marroquin-Herrera was turned over to the city jail after his release. He also will remain in Virginia Beach custody until after his case is completed, Guagenti said.
The spokeswoman was unable to say Friday how many other ICE detainees are currently at the jail. As is the case in many other cities across the country, the number of detainees released to ICE from Virginia Beach custody has grown steadily this year, Guagenti said. The number turned over in all of 2024 was 37, she said, while 66 have been handed over in just the first six months of this year.
Jane Harper, jane.harper@pilotonline.com
Originally Published: October 3, 2025 at 6:37 PM EDT
