Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, May 14, 1990 TAG: 9005140316
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A3 EDITION: EVENING
SOURCE: VICTORIA RATCLIFF STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Virginia Kotermanski testified that she tried to take the sawed-off shotgun away from Meece after he first shot Martha Ann McGeorge, 39, of Cottage Avenue, Vinton, in the parking lot of the Berkshire Health Care Center about 10:30 p.m. Meece just turned and walked away, she said.
But minutes later, Kotermanski said, she watched Meece return to McGeorge, bend down and say something. He then stood up, aimed the gun and shot again.
After hearing the evidence against Meece, substitute Judge E.C. Westerman ruled there was probable cause to believe Meece had shot McGeorge. He certified charges of malicious wounding, possession of an illegal weapon, and using a firearm in the commission of a felony against Meece to the June 1 grand jury.
The charges against Meece, who is formerly of Vinton but recently moved to Mississippi, are the latest in a string of charges placed against him for harrassing McGeorge.
Court records show that Meece, who is being held in the Roanoke County/Salem Jail without bond, has been charged four times previously with harassing the woman and has served time in jail for brandishing a firearm at her.
At Meece's preliminary hearing today, Kotermanski testified that she had picked up McGeorge the night of April 10 to take her to work at the nursing home where both women were nurses.
As she drove into McGeorge's apartment complex, Kotermanski testified, she passed Meece driving out.
When McGeorge got into the car, Kotermanski asked if she had seen who was out there. "She said, `Yes, that's why I wasn't standing on the porch,"' Kotermanski said.
As the two women drove to work, they realized Meece was following them, Kotermanski testified. But when they drove into the nursing home parking lot, they didn't see Meece behind them.
The two women got out of the car, and Meece drove up behind them, blocking the car, she said.
"Martha said, `Oh my God, that's Earl,' and she immediately got back in the car and locked the door."
Kotermanski said she approached Meece, who was standing outside of his car and he said, "I want to talk to Martha."
Kotermanski replied, "You can't talk to Martha. She doesn't want to talk to you."
Kotermanski said she yelled at McGeorge to get out of the car and run to the building. Both women began running toward the nursing home, and Kotermanski heard McGeorge scream, "Oh my God, he's got a gun. He's got a gun."
Kotermanski saw Meece raise the gun and shoot McGeorge once. McGeorge screamed and Kotermanski bent over her. She stood up and turned around to find Meece standing about 5 feet away with the gun in his hand pointing toward the ground.
"I said, `Give me the gun.' He said, `No, all she had to do was talk to me. This is what she gets.' I reached for the gun, and he never raised it. Then he turned like he was going to walk away."
Kotermanski said she ran for the building and screamed for her co-workers to call the police and an ambulance. Then she turned to go back to McGeorge and saw that Meece was walking toward her friend.
That was when she watched him point the gun and shoot McGeorge in the head.
McGeorge rolled around on the ground and then began struggling with Meece, grabbing the barrel of the shotgun. "Martha turned that gun around and tried to shoot him with it. He was walking away, like `Just go ahead and shoot me.' I thought, `That woman is going to try to shoot him after all that,' " Kotermanski said.
But McGeorge did not shoot Meece. He was arrested within minutes in the parking lot of the nursing home by a Vinton police officer.
McGeorge, who is recuperating from her wounds, did not testify today. Meece's attorney, Jack Gregory, did not present any evidence.
Kotermanski was to be honored today by the Vinton Police Department for her role in the shooting. Bill Brown, chief investigator with the Vinton Police Department, said that city officials would present Kotermanski with a plaque and then take her out "for a nice steak lunch. She went above and beyond the call of duty for a private citizen," Brown said.
by CNB