A jury has found Dustin Barrett Owens guilty on all counts in the October 2022 shooting death of his pregnant girlfriend, Amber Dawn Compton, inside her Buchanan County home.
The Russell County jury returned its verdict Sept. 3 following a trial that lasted slightly more than a week. Jurors deliberated for approximately 2½ hours before finding Owens guilty of first-degree murder in Compton’s death, the killing of her unborn child and using a firearm in the commission of a felony.
The trial was moved from Buchanan County to Russell County.
Owens, 42, a former correctional officer at Keen Mountain Correctional Center, is scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 20.
Compton, 35, was found fatally shot inside her Vansant home in October 2022. She was approximately seven months pregnant at the time. Authorities said she had been shot about nine times, with several bullets also striking her unborn child.
Buchanan County Commonwealth’s Attorney M. Nikki Stiltner issued a statement following the verdict, placing the focus on Compton, her unborn child and the family members who waited nearly four years for the case to reach a jury.
“Today belongs first to Amber Compton, her unborn child, and the family who has carried their loss for nearly four years,” Stiltner said.
She acknowledged the difficult journey endured by Compton’s parents, Rachel and Larry, as the investigation and court proceedings continued.
“Rachel and Larry have waited years to see the person responsible for their daughter’s death held accountable,” Stiltner said. “They have endured an unimaginable loss, followed by years of investigation and court proceedings, and then sat in that courtroom throughout this trial as the most painful details of Amber’s death were presented to a jury. Their strength and their commitment to seeing this case through have never wavered.”
Stiltner said the verdict could not return the lives that were taken or erase the pain carried by the family, but it did provide accountability under the law.
“Nothing we did in that courtroom can give Rachel and Larry their daughter back,” she said. “Nothing can restore the life Amber should have lived or the life of the child she was preparing to welcome. A guilty verdict cannot undo what happened to this family. But today, twelve jurors heard the evidence, considered it carefully, and unanimously held Dustin Barrett Owens accountable under the law.”
Stiltner thanked the jurors, law enforcement officers, investigators, expert witnesses, victim advocates, witnesses and members of the prosecution team who worked on the case.
“There were many people from many agencies who carried a piece of this case, and today’s verdict would not have been possible without their work,” she said.
Stiltner closed her statement by expressing hope that the verdict would bring some comfort to Compton’s family.
“Most of all, I hope today gives Amber’s family some measure of peace,” Stiltner said. “Justice cannot make this family whole again. But today, Amber and her child were heard. Today, they mattered. And today, there was accountability.”
The Buchanan County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office said it would offer no additional comment while the case remains before the court through sentencing and may be subject to further judicial proceedings.
