Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, August 31, 1994 TAG: 9408310057
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By LAURENCE HAMMACK and DIANE STRUZZI STAFF WRITERS NOTE: lede
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Police Chief R.R. Foutz said no suspects have been identified so far in a multiple-homicide investigation that unfolded after firefighters responded to a house fire at 232 E. Virginia Ave. about 5 a.m. Monday.
Inside the home, authorities found a family of four dead - William Blaine Hodges, 41, his wife, Teresa, 37, and their two daughters, 11-year-old Winter and 3-year-old Anah.
Three family members were found dead in beds on the home's upper floor, and the fourth was in a downstairs living room, Foutz said. He would not say which victims were found where.
Dr. William Massello, assistant deputy chief medical examiner for Western Virginia, said Tuesday that William Hodges and his two daughters all died of one or two gunshot wounds to the head, some of which were fired at "close to intermediate range."
Massello said a cause of death had not been determined for Teresa Hodges, who suffered severe burns over 90 percent of her body. Unlike the rest of her family, Teresa Hodges had not been shot.
Although police have not offered any theories as to how the family was killed, Massello said some form of murder-suicide is being considered among the options.
But, he added, "I don't think the police investigation is definitive on that."
Also being evaluated in both the police investigation and his collection of forensic evidence, Massello said, is the possibility that the family was killed by an unknown assailant. "There are a lot of things I'm working on," he said.
Teresa Hodges could have died from either smoke inhalation or burns to her body, Massello said, and the yet-unfinished autopsy also will seek to determine if she suffered other injuries, such as a blow from a blunt instrument.
Authorities are awaiting the results of toxicology tests that would indicate if the victims had drugs or alcohol in their bodies when they died.
Roanoke Commonwealth's Attorney Skip Burkart also confirmed that police are considering both murder and murder-suicide in the investigation. Burkart said a gun was recovered from the home, although it was not clear if it had any connection to the deaths.
At a news conference, Foutz offered few details, except to say the multijurisdiction investigation is "progressing as expected." State police and detectives from Roanoke and Roanoke County have joined the effort.
Foutz said police are receiving many calls from citizens with potential leads in the case - some of which he characterized as valuable.
At the time of his death, William Hodges was soon to begin serving a six-month prison sentence for a federal conviction of misappropriating funds from the Vinton Post Office, where he worked as a clerk until 1991.
In addition to facing a prison term, Hodges had been ordered by a federal judge to pay back the sum he stole, $4,664, plus a fine of an equal amount.
Hodges, who maintained his innocence throughout the case, had appealed to the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The court rejected his appeal Aug. 3, meaning Hodges was expected to report to prison and begin serving his term within a month to six weeks.
Some of Hodges' relatives were said to be angry that news reports of his conviction suggested that it might be connected with Monday's deaths. They declined to talk about the case.
"It's not just the family's position, but it's also the police department's position that there be no comment," said Lance Hale, a Roanoke attorney who represented Hodges in the federal trial.
Relatives of Teresa Hodges also declined to comment.
Police are expected to remain at the house searching for clues throughout the week.
Anyone who may have information about the case is asked to call the Vinton Police Department at 983-0617.
Staff writer Jan Vertefeuille contributed information to this story.
Keywords:
ROMUR FATALITY
by CNB