Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, November 5, 1994 TAG: 9411070042
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DIANE STRUZZI STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
William Smith was found unconscious in a pool of blood in the driveway of his Clearwater, Fla., home just past noon Wednesday, said Sgt. Greg Tita of the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office.
Smith had been beaten in the head with a blunt object. His 1991 burgundy Toyota Camry had been taken. The incident initiated a nationwide search by law enforcement agencies for the two men, who are in their 20s and are heavily tattooed, Tita said.
Late Friday, his department issued warrants for the arrest of David T. McKeone, 25, and Paul David Thompson, 26. Each has been charged with attempted murder and carjacking.
Smith remained in critical condition in a Florida hospital. His car had not been recovered.
Tita said McKeone's and Thompson's fingerprints matched those given by Roanoke detectives for the men they want to question about the killing of Virgie Green. The 44-year-old woman was found bludgeoned in the trunk of her car Tuesday afternoon.
Since then, Roanoke police have been looking for two men, who recently lived with Green at 421 Woods Ave. S.W.
Maj. J.L. Viar would not comment.
Green was last seen Oct. 25. Her daughter reported her missing to police three days later. An autopsy showed that Green died from a blunt-force injury to her head.
Taken from her home were two vehicles: A blue Nissan and a gray Dodge Ram pickup with a camper shell. The Nissan was recovered Thursday in the parking lot of a Franklin Road convenience store. The car had been abandoned there Oct. 26, according to a police news release.
The Dodge Ram was recovered by a West Virginia state trooper in Grafton, about 20 miles south of Morgantown, W.Va. The truck was in good condition and had been sold to a Grafton resident by one of the men wanted for questioning, police said.
Authorities believe that McKeone and Thompson boarded a bus in Roanoke on Oct. 26, along with a woman identified by Tita as Sherry Sprouse, 27. The Florida sergeant said the three traveled to St. Petersburg, Fla., and stayed at a motel under assumed names. They destroyed their motel room, even pulling a sink from the wall, Tita said.
From information developed by Pinellas sheriff's deputies, it is believed the three may be on their way to Texas, Virginia, West Virginia or Pennsylvania. Sprouse also is being sought by authorities, but she has not been charged.
"They don't have any money or means of support," Tita said, adding that the three were seen panhandling outside their motel room.
All three were wearing Harley-Davidson T-shirts when last seen. Thompson sports a tattoo of the ``Nightmare on Elm Street'' character Freddy Krueger on his stomach. Thompson is about 5 feet 11 inches tall, weighs between 170 and 180 pounds and has red-blond hair.
McKeone is about 5 feet 8 inches tall, weighs between 150 and 160 pounds and has brown hair. Sprouse is about 5 feet 6 inches tall, weighs about 115 pounds and also sports tattoos.
According to a news release from Roanoke police, the two men also are wanted on charges of burglary and violating parole in West Virginia.
Keywords:
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by CNB