The Huntington prom night murders
Huntington, Cabell County, West Virginia · May 22, 2005
Four teenagers were shot in a front yard hours after a prom, and the woman police say ordered it has never been charged; a court ruling in 2025 put her earliest parole date for a different murder at November 2026.
Overview
Early on Sunday, May 22, 2005, four teenagers were shot to death in the front yard of a house on Charleston Avenue in Huntington, West Virginia, hours after the Huntington High School prom. They were Megan Poston, 16, Michael Dillon, 17, Eddrick Clark, 18, and Donté Ward, 19, who rented the house. Police said Ward was probably the target and the other three were killed so they could not identify the shooter, and that the shooting was tied to the drug trade between Detroit and Huntington. Police later said they believe a Detroit woman ordered the killings; she has denied it and has never been charged in this case. She was convicted in 2008 of ordering a separate 2004 Huntington murder and received a life sentence with the possibility of parole. In March 2025 the state parole board approved her release, but a Cabell County judge ruled in April 2025 that she was not eligible until November 2026. No one has ever been charged with the four prom night murders, and WSAZ reported on the 20th anniversary that the case is unsolved.
Where it stands
The case is open and no one has been charged. Police said from the first days that the killings were linked to the Detroit-Huntington drug trade, that Donté Ward was the intended target and that the other three teenagers were killed to eliminate witnesses. In June 2005 an FBI agent testified that Huntington authorities had three confidential informants who said a Detroit woman had ordered the shooters. Her attorneys said the accusation was untrue; she has denied involvement and has never been charged in the prom night case. She was convicted in March 2008 of ordering a different Huntington killing, in 2004, and was sentenced to life with the possibility of parole after 15 years. Investigators have said little publicly since. A federal drug case they hoped would help was dismissed in January 2008 over the handling of about 12,000 wiretapped calls, and by May 2008 the lead detective said he saw no closure in sight. The one concrete official development in recent years concerns that woman's release. In March 2025 the West Virginia Parole Board granted her parole at her first hearing, with release set for April 9. The Cabell County prosecutor moved to stop it, and on April 18, 2025 a Cabell County judge ruled she was not eligible for parole until November 2026. WSAZ reported on the 20th anniversary in May 2025 that the murders remain unsolved, and one victim's mother said she was not confident anyone would be held accountable. Police have announced no new evidence or charges, and we could not confirm her current custody status from the reporting we read.
Persons of interest
The theories below are reported strictly as attributed to the cited sources. Naming a person here is not an accusation. Individuals are named only where they are deceased, were formally charged, were officially named by authorities, or have been publicly cleared.
- A Detroit woman convicted of ordering a separate 2004 Huntington murderNot publicly named
Police have long said they believe she ordered the shootings. At a June 2005 federal hearing, an FBI agent testified that Huntington authorities had three confidential informants who said she ordered shooters from Detroit to kill Ward after he allegedly took money or marijuana from her. Her attorneys said the accusations were untrue and police say she denies involvement. She has never been charged in this case.[1]
Sources
- The quadruple homicide: A timeline (May 21, 2008; updated October 16, 2015)
“Detectives say shooting was related to the Detroit-Huntington drug trade. Ward is said to have been the target of the attack. Everyone else was killed to eliminate witnesses.”
- Police question several in death of 4 West Virginia teens (May 24, 2005)
“Police believe that man, Dante Ward, may have been the intended target and the other three were killed to prevent them from identifying the shooter, police Capt. Steve Hall said.”
- Four Shot To Death After Prom In West Virginia (May 23, 2005)
“Three of the teens were dead when police arrived and the fourth died a short time later at Cabell-Huntington Hospital, police said.”
- W. Va. Murders Linked to Crack Dealing (May 27, 2005)
“Police say it's the worst killing here in at least a generation.”
- Somber quadruple murder anniversary marked in Huntington (May 22, 2017)
“The murders remain unsolved as of May 2017. Huntington Police Chief Joe Ciccarelli said the case is still very much open.”
- Prom Night Murders: Megan's story (May 23, 2025)
“On May 21, 2005, Megan got ready for what should have been an unforgettable night. Wearing an orange and yellow dress she headed to Huntington High School’s prom.”
- Woman police believe ordered Huntington prom night killings to be released from prison (March 12, 2025)
“as the woman they believe ordered the shootings of four teens on prom night in Huntington on May 22, 2005.”
- WSAZ Investigates | Parole granted to woman convicted in 2004 Huntington murder (April 2, 2025)
“has never been charged in that case, she was tried and convicted of ordering the 2004 murder of Wendy Morgan.”
- Motion filed to prevent release of woman police link to prom night murders (April 7, 2025)
“It is our belief and intent to show via evidence that she is not eligible for parole until 2026.”
- Parole eligibility hearing set Friday in Cabell County (April 17, 2025)
“You had my one and only child taken away - on his birthday.”
- Judge rules woman is not eligible for parole until 2026 (April 18, 2025)
“is not eligible for parole until November 2026, Judge Chad Lovejoy ruled on Friday morning in Cabell County Circuit Court.”
- Prom Night Murders: Twenty Years Later (May 22, 2025)
“The murders on prom night are still unsolved to this day. Megan Poston, Michael Dillon, Eddrick Clark, and Donté Ward were shot and killed in front of Ward’s home on Charleston Avenue back on May 22, 2005.”