Washington Man Pleads Guilty in Shooting Death of Columbia Pike Jeweler

A 53-year-old Washington man pleaded guilty Wednesday in Arlington County Circuit Court to charges related to the shooting death of Tommy Wong, a Columbia Pike jewelry store owner, last summer.

James Sylvester Caroline pleaded guilty to capital murder and the use of a firearm during the commission of a felony. He was sentenced to life in prison plus three years.

Caroline entered an Alford plea before Chief Judge William T. Newman Jr. That means he does not admit to the crimes, only that the commonwealth had enough evidence against him so that it was in his best interest to avoid a trial. Had the matter gone to trial, Caroline could have received the death penalty upon conviction.

"This was an appropriate outcome," said Commonwealth's Attorney Theo Stamos. "There was an overture from the defense to do this. It achieves a lot by forestalling a trial that would have been difficult for the family and it protects the public from a dangerous person. There was no reason for him to kill Mr. Wong."

The commonwealth made all of its evidence available to the defense. Caroline was represented by Arlington attorney Jason Rucker, along with Ed Ungvarsky and Vernida Chaney with the Northern Virginia Capital Defenders Office.

After the hearing, Ungvarsky said the plea was "sensible, given that Mr. Caroline felt responsible for his actions."

"Through conversations with him, he expressed deep remorse over the life he took and the actions that he took — from the very beginning all the way through today," Ungvarsky told Patch.

Ungvarsky said he commended Stamos on making the evidence available for review, as it avoided a trial that would have caused the family additional pain and kept costs down. Pre-trial litigation in a capital murder trial can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, he said.

Commonwealth Discusses Evidence

Tommy Wong, 52, of Herndon, was found shot to death — a bullet lodged in his chest — on July 27, 2012, at his business, Capital Jewelers, 3219A Columbia Pike.

Wong was "renowned in the area" for his work, particularly on high-end watches and jewelry, Stamos said. Wong was born in Hong Kong and immigrated to Trinidad, and he and his wife came to the United States in 1984. They settled in Northern Virginia and began to raise a family.

[August 2012: More than 200 Attend Vigil for Slain Columbia Pike Jeweler]

Wong was a man of routine; he packed his own lunch every day and worked alone. On the day of his death, he spoke to his daughter and wife over the phone in the early afternoon.

Also that day, a Springfield jeweler dropped off a number of items for Wong to work on — including an Elgin pocket watch and a Breitling watch.

Security video showed a man in a reflective yellow vest enter the store later in the afternoon and pull a long, silver-barreled handgun on Wong, Stamos said.

The man handed Wong a white bag. Wong filled it with watches and jewelry. He began to back away, at which point he was shot in the chest, Stamos said.

The shooter then stepped over his body to look in three small back rooms before leaving. Police found the body later that night; dried blood could be seen on Wong's cheek and his chest, Stamos said. He was found laying on his back, left side. He was still wearing his glasses.

Various cameras along Columbia Pike showed the man in the yellow vest leave the store and make his way to a Ford Explorer, which was parked across from the Days Inn at Highland Street.

Still photos distributed by police in the weeklong manhunt that ensued showed a construction logo on the back of the yellow vest. The logo was for a company that had been contracted to do work at the new Wakefield High School, which was under construction not far away.

Police visited the construction company, and the next day were told that Caroline, an employee, had just put in for a transfer. At the time, Caroline was on probation and was likely to be charged with probation violation for testing positive for drugs, Stamos said.

Investigators soon stopped Caroline, who was driving a Ford Explorer that matched the car from the video, Stamos said. Inside, they found what was later identified as the Elgin pocket watch Wong had been asked to work on July 27, she said. They also found papers with the names of various jewelry stores, including a paper CD case with the name, "Capital Jewelers."

They also found a cell phone that had a picture of Caroline holding a long-barreled, silver handgun.

Police later discovered the Breitling watch at a pawn shop in District Heights, Md. The owner identified Caroline as the person who pawned it. She knew him as a regular customer, Stamos said.

Cell phone records also showed Caroline in the vicinity of Capital Jewelers at the time of the shooting. A tower at Columbia Pike and Glebe Road, just a few blocks away, sent a signal to his phone at about 4 p.m.

His mother had called him.

'A Decent Family'

Caroline's mother, sister, daughter and two other family members sat in the front row during Wednesday's hearing, occasionally breaking into tears.

Caroline replied only, "Yes, sir," and, "No, sir" to the judge when asked a series of questions. He wore a blue jail jumpsuit and blue knit hat, and his hands and feet were shackled. He stood still, rolling his shoulders once when Newman accepted the plea and found him guilty of capital murder.

Caroline's sentence does not include any opportunity for release. He looked back at his family once as he was led out of the courtroom.

"I'm sorry," Stamos said to them as she left the court's lobby.

"He comes from a decent family," she later told Patch. "They're heartbroken."

Wong's family did not attend the hearing.