Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, September 3, 1994 TAG: 9409060036
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: LAURENCE HAMMACK AND DIANE STRUZZI STAFF WRITERS
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
"I don't think we're dealing with a random shooting," Vinton Police Chief R.R. Foutz said.
"There is no indication that any citizen is in jeopardy or that lives are in danger," he said during a news conference at the Police Department.
Police offered no new information on their investigation into the slaying of the Hodges family.
William Blaine and Teresa Hodges and their two daughters were found dead Monday after a fire gutted their East Virginia Avenue home. Blaine, 41, and daughters Winter, 11, and Anah, 3, were shot to death. Teresa, 37, was strangled.
"There was no reason to kill a whole family, to kill two kids, and that's why the hammer is down," Foutz said. "And we won't let up."
Police say they have no definite list of suspects, but said they are pleased with the progress of the investigation. They have been tracking down dozens of potential leads they've received from those who knew the Hodgeses.
"There are no new leads that I can make available to you," Foutz said, adding that police fear the investigation could be jeopardized by the release of further details. "But we're working around the clock to resolve this," he said.
The multijurisdictional investigation, which includes state police, Roanoke County and Roanoke, apparently led to a lead strong enough for authorities to obtain a search warrant early Thursday.
That document has been sealed by Roanoke County Circuit Judge Kenneth Trabue, preventing disclosure of who or what police were investigating. Under Virginia law, prosecutors can ask that a search warrant be temporarily sealed in a pending investigation for "good cause shown."
On Friday, an attorney for the Roanoke Times & World-News filed a motion asking that the search warrant - which usually is a matter of public record - be opened.
Exactly where the Hodgeses were hours before the murders still is a significant question for investigators.
"We're still trying to determine the last people who saw the Hodgeses alive," Foutz said.
The four-member family was buried together Friday at Mountain View Cemetery in Vinton. The services ended a weeklong ordeal for a small community riveted by what is believed to be the first quadruple homicide in its history.
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