Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, March 3, 1995 TAG: 9503030146
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B3 EDITION: STATE
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
NEWPORT NEWS - The husband was battling cancer. His wife was weakened by a series of strokes.
Wednesday morning, a family member opened the couple's apartment door and found them shot dead. Neighbors speculated that the couple could endure the suffering no longer.
While police were saying little as they investigated the evidence Wednesday morning, the belief spread quickly through the apartment complex that the deaths were a mercy killing followed by a suicide. Police later concluded from a preliminary investigation that the couple died from a ``murder/suicide.''
Police found a pistol at the scene and said there were no signs of forced entry or a burglary. The victims were Charles T. West, 73, and his wife, Edna K. West, 67, said police spokesman Bobby Kipper.
Kipper said the husband killed his wife before turning the gun on himself.
``They were very nice. I always told them they should go to a nursing home because Edna was sick. She had several strokes, and Mr. West was in very poor health, too,'' apartment manager Sarah Arroll said.
- Associated Press
\ 15-year-old arreste after wild chase
BOWLING GREEN - A 15-year-old Emporia boy stole two cars, rammed two state police cars and led police on a chase in which speeds reached 120 mph, authorities said.
State police spokeswoman Mary Evans said this is how Wednesday's incident unfolded:
The youngster stole the first car in Emporia and talked a 13-year-old boy into riding to Washington with him. They made it to Richmond before the car ran out of gas.
A woman stopped to help them, and the 15-year-old forced her out of her car and took off in it. The younger boy stayed behind.
The older boy headed north on Interstate 95 and, with state police in pursuit, got as far as the Caroline-Spotsylvania county line, where he drove onto an emergency crossover and hit a cruiser, then put the car in reverse and backed into a second cruiser. Damage to the police cars was estimated at $8,500. No one was injured.
The boy drove south about two miles before four troopers boxed him in and forced him to stop.
The older boy, who was not identified because of his age, was charged with attempted capital murder for ramming a police car. He also was charged with two counts of grand larceny, several counts of reckless driving and other traffic offenses.
- Associated Press
Keywords:
FATALTIY
Memo: shorter version ran in the Metro edition.