A Roanoke General District Court judge denied bond Monday for a man accused of shooting another man to death in the parking lot of the Melrose Stop Mart.

In asking the judge to deny bond for 34-year-old Antonio R. Burnette, Assistant Roanoke Commonwealth's Attorney Joshua Dietz revealed a handful of new details about the June 15 killing.

John Wilfred Rivera Jr., 29, was found that night dead in his car in the parking lot. A witness told The Roanoke Times that Rivera had tried to break up a fight between a man and a woman in the parking lot. When Rivera was in his car and preparing to leave, a man walked up and opened fire, continuing to shoot as Rivera tried to drive off.

At Monday's hearing, Dietz told Judge Skip Burkart that the shooting took place in front of several witnesses, and that Burnette's ex-girlfriend identified him as the shooter to police.

Early June 16, police stopped a blue Ford Expedition on Hanover Avenue Northwest after a chase and arrested Burnette. Dietz said that ammunition found in the Expedition that Burnette was driving matched the bullets fired into Rivera's car.

A preliminary hearing in Burnette's case is scheduled for July 16.

-- Mike Allen