ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, February 21, 1997 TAG: 9702210046
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: LISA K. GARCIA STAFF WRITER
Authorities in two normally low-crime New River Valley counties investigated unrelated homicides Wednesday.
Two men have been detained in connection with an apparent robbery-slaying in Floyd County. Meanwhile, a suspect has been charged with second-degree murder in a Giles County case.
In the first case, authorities arrested two men in West Virginia in the theft of a 1977 Pontiac Firebird that was reported missing from the scene of the homicide in Floyd County.
Stanley Harmon Sr., 38, of Willis, was found dead of head injuries at his home at about 7:45 a.m. Wednesday, according to Floyd County Commonwealth's Attorney Gino Williams.
Police suspected foul play when they couldn't find Harmon's car or a rifle that was missing from his truck, said state police Lt. Jim Ruhland. Investigators received information that Harmon's car was seen in Greenbrier County, W.Va. There, they located two men witnesses said had been driving Harmon's car.
Mark Anthony Beavers, 18, of Quinwood, W.Va., and Jerry McKinney, 21, of Rupert, W.Va., were charged with car theft. The suspects waived the right to an extradition hearing and police brought them back to the Floyd County Jail Thursday. Bond will likely be set at an arraignment today and additional charges are expected, Williams said.
In the Giles County case, sheriff's investigators arrested Benjamin Scot Elliott, 25, Wednesday night on charges of second-degree murder and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. The charges stem from the shooting death of Elliot's live-in girlfriend, 20-year-old Misty Dawn Dellinger.
The couple had moved to Newport within the last two months, authorities said. The shooting occurred at their home, but investigators did not reveal any details of a possible motive.
Investigator Willie Lucas said the Sheriff's Office got a call from a neighbor reporting the shooting about 7:30 p.m. Wednesday. When deputies arrived at the couple's home, they found Dellinger dead of a gunshot wound to the head. A large-caliber handgun was used in the slaying, Lucas said.
"We will not release any information as to how we drew the conclusion [to charge Elliott]," he said.
Second-degree murder normally means the killing was done with malice, but no premeditation. It is often characterized as a spur-of-the-moment decision. The charge carries a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison.
The couple, originally from Montgomery County, is believed to have moved to Newport in December. Court records in Montgomery County show both Elliott and Dellinger lived in Riner within the last year.
Montgomery County school officials confirmed that Dellinger attended Auburn Middle School and, for a short time, Christiansburg High School.
Bond was set at $50,000 for Elliott, and he remains in the Giles County Jail, Lucas said.
Staff writer Lisa Applegate contributed to this report.
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