NORFOLK, Va. — The man convicted of conspiracy in the murder of Old Dominion University student Chris Cummings is speaking out from behind bars to tell his side of the story.
Earlier this month, a jury found Rashad Dooley, 29, guilty of three conspiracy charges -- but not first-degree murder -- in the 2011 killing of 20-year-old Cummings.
Dooley was not present in court when the guilty verdict came down. His lawyer told the judge Dooley had to go pick up his daughter and asked that he stand in for him. But Dooley never turned himself in, and a judge revoked Dooley's bond and three warrants for failure to appear were issued for his arrest.
After two weeks on the run, Norfolk Police arrested Dooley Thursday night in Chesapeake.
On Friday, less than 24 hours after his arrest, Dooley agreed to an interview with 13News Now inside Norfolk City Jail. He said he was at a bar in Chesapeake getting food and watching the game when police confronted him as he left.
"I'm not running from, I wasn't running. If I was running, I'd be out of state under a rock or something," Dooley said. "There's no crime, I didn't commit any crime."
13News Now asked why he didn't show up to court for the verdict and what he has been doing over the last two weeks when police were searching for him.
Dooley said he went home that day to see his daughter and took the last two weeks to explain everything to his children.
"In court, I had an emotional breakdown and wanted to go talk to my kids ... nobody could explain it to them better than me," he said.
"I just want [my kids] to understand that it's not over. Just because circumstances put you in places like this, never give up. I want them to understand that."
Dooley maintains his innocence. He said he never had any contact with Cummings, especially the night of the robbery.
"I got convicted of conspiracy to commit murder and nobody got convicted of the original murder, and it's just not fair," Dooley said.
"Mr. Cummings, I send my condolences to his family, but my family needs the same treatment as his family. Even though he's passed away and I'm alive. It's like the same thing. It's like you're trying to take my life away from me."
Dooley says he plans to try to appeal his conviction later in court.
Dooley was one of four Newport News men charged in the case last year, more than 10 years after Cummings was fatally shot and his roommate was injured.
The charges against two of the men, Kwaume Edwards and Ahmad Watson, were later dismissed while the trial for a fourth man, Javon Doyle, ended in a mistrial last month. In that case, the jury couldn't agree on a verdict.
Doyle is expected to be retried, but no date has been set.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.