Authorities say the woman suspected of killing three roommates in second-degree murder on Tuesday shocked neighbors in Fredericksburg, Virginia. She was caught days later in New York after ignoring a traffic stop, driving 100 mph, and finally crashing her car when troopers were able to take out her tires.
Alyssa Jane Venable, 23, is accused of killing three people with a gun: Gregory Scott Powell, 60, Carol Anne Reese, 65, and Robert John McGuire, 77. The reasons for the killings are still unknown, but the defendant’s grandmother told a local news station that she thought her granddaughter could also be dangerous to herself and was in “desperate need of help.”
It was shocking to find three bodies that were “dead from upper body trauma” on Tuesday night, after the police were called to check on the victims’ well-being. After checking on Venable’s welfare, police said that all the proof pointed to him as the person who had done “this heinous crime.”
The Spotsylvania County Sheriff’s Office in Virginia had earlier said that Venable might have shaved her head to escape being caught. On Thursday, they gave an update and said they were “pleased” that the suspected triple murderer and wanted criminal had been caught.
The sheriff’s office said that Venable drove her 2009 Honda Civic at speeds of up to 100 mph on I-86 in the Empire State after realizing at 5:45 p.m. that the police were about to arrive and try to conduct a traffic stop. They gave credit to both New York cops and U.S. Marshals.
Also, police from New York State said that Venable was finally caught Thursday night, but only after a fast chase.
“The suspect vehicle did not comply, so a pursuit began.” Troopers said, “The chase went into Troop E, where the Steuben County Sheriff’s Office helped the New York State Police.” “A device was used to deflate the tires, which caused the car to crash.”
Troopers said that the next step will be to start the process of extraditing Venable to Virginia to face charges. They said that the suspect was treated at a hospital for “non-life-threatening injuries.”
Law&Crime looked at records from the Steuben County Jail and found that Venable was booked after 1 a.m. on Friday. The Spotsylvania County Sheriff’s Office thought she might have shaved her head, but it turns out she didn’t.
Spotsylvania General District Court records show that Venable has a long criminal history that goes back to March 2019 and includes an accused shoplifting or price-changing crime. Later that month, the original charge was changed to one count of breaking into property to damage it. She was accused of small theft in December 2021. She was charged with careless driving in January of this year. The person was charged with assault and abuse on May 17.
The news of a triple murder case shocked Gary Boxley, one of the neighbors. He told WTVR that it “blew him away.”
A neighbor across the street named Bonnie Ennis told WWBT that she saw police cars with their lights flashing outside the crime scene around midnight on Tuesday as she was leaving for work.
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