Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, January 13, 1995 TAG: 9501130087
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DIANE STRUZZI STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The prime suspect in last year's murder of a Vinton family challenged police to arrest him while agonizing about the slayings, saying they made him think of killing himself, according to a search warrant affidavit unsealed Thursday.
The affidavit confirms that Earl C. Bramblett quickly became the focus of the investigation into the Aug. 29 slayings of Blaine Hodges; his wife, Teresa; and their two daughters, Winter and Anah. Teresa Hodges was strangled; the other three were shot in the head as they lay in bed. Then the house was set ablaze.
Bramblett has not revealed his whereabouts. He has not been charged in connection with the crime.
But, three days after the killings, police searched his 1972 Ford pickup truck and the Roanoke County motel room where he was staying.
On his motel bed police found a .22-caliber revolver. In the truck they found four cartridges and cartridge cases. But ballistic tests showed the gun was not the one used in the killings, Roanoke County Commonwealth's Attorney Skip Burkart said.
At Burkart's request, Roanoke County Circuit Judge Kenneth Trabue sealed the search warrant affidavit on Sept.1, saying that information in it could hinder the investigation.
Thursday, at the request of the Roanoke Times & World-News, Trabue broke the seal, saying the initial reason no longer applied.
In Virginia, search warrant affidavits are public documents and can be sealed by a judge only temporarily. Lawyer Stan Barnhill, representing the newspaper, argued that after more than four months, the temporary nature was no longer valid.
In the hearing, Burkart said there had been no new developments in the case. He depicted the investigation as a slow-moving process that will evolve by culling bits and pieces of evidence.
Soon after the bodies were discovered, police began talking to dozens of witnesses, family and friends.
Bramblett was a longtime companion of the Hodgeses and spent time at their home. He apparently was the last person to see the family, according to the search warrant affidavit.
His demeanor during the brief meetings with police cast suspicion on him. Police describe him in the affidavit as "visibly defensive and evasive" during the conversations.
Hours after the Hodges' bodies were discovered, police talked to Bramblett about when he last saw Blaine Hodges. According to the affidavit, Bramblett responded, "Why? Are you going to charge me with murder?"
During this interview, he told police that he was at the Hodges' house the day before the fire. But later, he denied being there. Police challenged him and Bramblett stated, "Why don't you go on and charge me with murder and get it over with?" according to the affidavit.
Two days later, on Aug. 31, police talked with Bramblett at the Apple Valley Motel on U.S. 220, where he was staying. Bramblett would not allow police inside his room, but told them he had seen Teresa, Winter and Anah Hodges the day before the fire.
As the questioning continued, "Bramblett became visibly upset and stated `Why don't you just arrest me for murder?''' according to the affidavit.
During this conversation, according to the affidavit, Bramblett said he was saddened about the family's killings, saying, "I felt so bad about this, I thought about committing suicide. ... I even wrote a note."
He agreed to meet with police again later that day. But Bramblett never came to the police station. So, police went back to his motel room. When no one answered the door, they feared Bramblett may have hurt himself, so they asked the motel manager to open the room.
Bramblett soon arrived in a taxicab and told police to get out of the room. He then again said, "Why don't you just arrest me for murder?" according to the affidavit.
Early the next day, Sept.1, investigators returned to Bramblett's motel room, searching it and his truck for weapons, flammable liquids, cutting tools and paper. Among other items, they found a pair of pliers, some note paper and three Lotto tickets.
In a letter to the Roanoke Times & World-News in October, Bramblett wrote that he never made the statements quoted in the affidavit.
"I think I counted six or seven total lies by the police," he wrote. "They did not misquote me or misunderstand what I said. They totally fabricated the whole story of when I was in the Vinton Police Department."
Police also searched a storage locker rented by Bramblett at Winter's Mini Storage in Vinton. The warrant for that search remains under temporary seal.
Bramblett said in his October letter that he had "not vanished or fled the area," but that he was "going to find a job somewhere."
Keywords:
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by CNB