Although authorities have not revealed how the roommates were killed, Venable was charged with three counts of second-degree murder and use of a firearm to commit a felony, the sheriff’s office said in a statement. As for the possible motive for these murders, the press release indicates that “the investigation is ongoing and is only in its early stages.” …We are keeping certain aspects of the incident quiet.
The victims were identified as Robert J. McGuire, 77; Gregory S. Powell, 60; and Carol Anne Reese, 65, of the 10500 block of White Street Court, near the town of Fredericksburg, about 50 miles south of Washington. After officers were dispatched to the residence for a welfare check around 10 p.m. Tuesday, the release states, they “entered the residence to discover three adults…deceased from upper body trauma.”
Trooper Lynnea Crane, a New York State Police reporter, said Friday that her department “received information from the Spotsylvania County Sheriff’s Office that [Venable] could possibly be in our area,” driving a 2009 Honda Civic. Traffic officers were alerted to the Honda’s license plate number and were ordered to be on the lookout from the car, Crane said.
She said a police officer saw the Honda shortly after 5:30 p.m. Thursday on Interstate 86 in Angelica, N.Y., about 80 miles from Buffalo and 400 miles north of the Virginia crime scene. . The ensuing chase continued for approximately 40 miles at speeds reaching 100 mph. It ended in Avoca, New York, where the car ran over a strip of police-deployed tire puncture studs and crashed into a guardrail on a highway overpass, Crane said.
Avoca is approximately 100 miles from the Canadian border. “Why was she here?” Right now it’s unknown,” Crane said.
After the accident, Venable “complained of pain” and was treated at a hospital, Crane said. She spent the night in a local jail and appeared Friday morning in a New York court, where she waived her right to contest extradition to Virginia, Crane said. She said Spotsylvania authorities are expected to travel to New York early next week to pick her up. It was clear Friday whether Venable was represented by an attorney.
Venable was alone in the Honda, according to Crane, who declined to say whether any weapons were found in the car.
“Our detectives are working closely with the New York State Police on any evidence recovery as this is still in its early stages,” Major said. Elizabeth Scott, Spotsylvania sheriff’s spokeswoman, said in a statement.