Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, January 21, 1992 TAG: 9201210327
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By DAVID M. POOLE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: OAK LEVEL LENGTH: Medium
POLICE PROBE ANIMAL CRUELTY BY SACRIFICER
"And ye shall eat fat till ye be full, and drink blood till ye be drunken, of my sacrifice which I have sacrificed for you." Ezekiel 39:18After old man Handy's death, the homeplace went to seed.
His three sons continued to live on the 15-acre farm, but the two-story cabin fell into disrepair and the yard became strewn with trash and junk.
Cows on adjacent land were shot in the head and left to die. One of the brothers, H. Douglas Handy, reportedly told neighbors that he had orders from God to sacrifice animals.
The rumors came to a head last week when state police obtained a warrant to search for evidence that Doug Handy had dismembered live sheep and goats with a chain saw.
Handy, 52, acknowledged that he had killed sheep and burned their carcasses in blood sacrifices patterned after those described in the Old Testament. But he denied dismembering them while they still were alive.
No charges were filed, but Handy voluntarily committed himself to a state mental hospital for evaluation.
Sheriff H.F. Cassell said there is nothing illegal about killing sheep and burning their remains - as long as the sheep were not subjected to cruelty or inhumane pain.
"It may be a little weird and a little grisly to cut a sheep up with a chain saw, but it's not illegal," Cassell said.
"A lot of his procedures were taken right out of the Bible. I guess the chain saw is something he added himself."
State Trooper D.W. Ferguson said the investigation would remain open in hopes of finding possible witnesses to the sacrifices and until all blood samples taken from the Handy property have been analyzed.
Samples that have been analyzed - including a quart jar filled with a red liquid - have turned out to be animal blood.
Among items seized from Handy's home during the Jan. 13 raid were two Bibles with pages marked to references of blood sacrifice and burnt offerings.
"Talking to family members, it's been going on as long as they can remember. It's always been something he's been interested in," Ferguson said.
The investigation began earlier this month when the local Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals received an anonymous allegation that Handy was sacrificing live animals.
Handy had been a suspect in past animal cruelty cases involving more than a dozen cattle shot to death on neighboring farms between 1987 and 1989.
Authorities say more cows have been shot in the Oak Level community than in the rest of Henry County combined in the last five years. One farmer within "easy walking distance" has lost 10 cows during that period, according to an affidavit filed with the search warrant.
On two separate occasions, a tracking dog led sheriff's deputies directly from dead cows to the door of the Handy house. No charges were filed, in part because investigators did not have enough evidence to determine who - Doug or his two brothers, Jerry and Jackie - was responsible.
Authorities say the two brothers often stay away from the farm for days at the time because they're afraid of Doug Handy.
"People are afraid of him," Cassell said. "He's a pretty fearsome-looking individual."
In the most recent investigation, Ferguson got a tip that Doug Handy had taken his chain saw for repairs at the local Sears store. Tests found dried bloodstains on the saw.
During the search, Ferguson found several large burned circles and charred animal bones on the Handy farm.
Ferguson said that while he has found no evidence of wrongdoing, he would continue to investigate allegations that Handy used the chain saw to cut up live animals.
Handy, who was being held Monday at Central State Hospital in Petersburg, could not be reached for comment Monday.
"Mr. Handy has a deep and intense belief in the Old Testament," Ferguson said. "He just carried it farther than most people.