Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, September 1, 1994 TAG: 9409010099
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BY DIANE STRUZZI and LAURENCE HAMMACK STAFF WRITERS NOTE: lede
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
``With all the information available to us at this time, we have eliminated the murder-suicide theory and this is being vigorously investigated as a quadruple homicide,'' Police Chief R.R. Foutz said.
The first confirmation that police were searching for an intruder came on the same day an autopsy revealed that Teresa Hodges, 37, was strangled before she suffered burns over 90 percent of her body.
Hodges' husband, William Blaine Hodges, 41, and their two daughters, 11-year-old old Winter and 3-year-old Anah, died of gunshot wounds to the head, earlier autopsies found.
If the multi-jurisdictional investigation has uncovered a potential motive, police have yet to reveal it.
News of the Hodgeses' deaths has captivated the Vinton community for three days and sent rumors flying about the first murders in the Roanoke Valley in nearly nine months.
As neighbors learned of the latest twist Wednesday, some cited fear for the first time in refusing to talk about the crime. Others could only wonder why William and Teresa Hodges and their children would be slain.
``It just makes you nervous that something like this can happen up the street,'' said Pam Routt, who works near 232 E. Virginia Ave., where the Hodges family was found early Monday after their home was set afire.
``It just makes you wonder how someone can do that to a 3-year-old child,'' she said.
In determining that Teresa Hodges was strangled, Assistant Deputy Chief Medical Examiner Dr. William Massello said Hodges could have been killed by either a choke hold or with a weapon, such as a rope or cloth.
Authorities also are trying to determine if Teresa Hodges was sexually assaulted before she was killed. Massello said there were no visible signs of rape or sexual molestation, but he is awaiting laboratory results before making a final determination.
Although the autopsies could not pinpoint an exact time of death, Massello said the Hodgeses had not been dead for long when firefighters responded to the blaze. ``Rather than days, it was a matter of hours,'' he said.
Police have yet to say how they believe the fire was set, where in the house it originated, or how much damage it caused.
Stepping up their investigation, police are offering a $10,000 reward for any information concerning the arson. Additional money is available for any clues leading to an arrest. Anyone with information can call 983-0617. Calls will be kept confidential.
``Vinton is a very close-knit community, and the citizens have been very responsive to our requests for any information concerning this investigation, and leads continue to come in,'' Foutz said.
Because more than one person was killed in a single act, the murderer could face the death penalty.
``If this was one person who came in and cold-bloodedly killed four people at once, that would certainly qualify as a capital offense,'' Roanoke County Commonwealth's Attorney Skip Burkart said.
Police confirmed Wednesday that a gun was recovered from the house, but did not say in what area. The weapon's relevance to the case is uncertain, police said.
Details continued to be scarce. The only official information from police Wednesday came in a half-page news release from Foutz, who declined to answer questions from reporters. State police, Roanoke and Roanoke County investigators - who were brought in to assist in the homicide and arson probe - referred inquiries to Foutz.
``We would certainly like to share all the information we have on this case. ... However, in all fairness to the family, the victims, and the investigation itself, this is not a viable option,'' according to Foutz.
The Hodgeses were seen early Saturday, when the parents returned from an Amway meeting in Charlottesville. Both were sales representatives for the nationwide product-sales company and were supposed to hold a telephone sales meeting at their home Sunday night.
However, when friends arrived that evening, they saw no one and found a note taped to the porch door that appeared to be written by Teresa Hodges. The note said that there was an emergency and they would be back late Sunday or early Monday.
Neighbors were not alarmed until 5 a.m. Monday, when they were awakened by the sirens and flashing lights of fire trucks and rescue vehicles responding to the house fire.
From there, a routine fire call escalated into an arson case, then to multiple homicide, when gunshot wounds were found in three of the victims. Preliminary autopsies showed that William Hodges and his two daughters were shot once or twice in the head, from close to intermediate range.
Three family members were found dead in their beds on the home's upper floor. The fourth was found in the living room. Police have not said which victims were found where.
Little is known about the family that for more than 10 years occupied the two-story red brick home on a major Vinton thoroughfare.
William Hodges, a former clerk at the Vinton Post Office, spent much of his time at home, most recently selling Amway products with his wife, a homemaker. While they each pursued other interests - he was an avid diver and pilot, and she was known as a dedicated mother - neighbors said they kept to themselves.
The yard where William Hodges once fixed cars and his children played had been crowded since early Monday with investigators combing the crime scene for possible leads.
But by Wednesday, all that remained was the fire-blackened house, posted with police signs that said ``Keep Out.''
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by CNB