List of 2016 Roanoke homicides include unreported names
The Roanoke Times | Jan. 11, 2017
By Amy Friedenberger and Tiffany Stevens
Tammy Cruse didn’t get a chance to say goodbye to her daughter.
Erin Marley, 34, was at LewisGale Medical Center on life support after being severely beaten at a Roanoke motel on Thirlane Road. She couldn’t speak.
“I pray she heard me and she knew I was there,” Cruse said. “I just said, ‘You have to do what’s right for you. If you feel it’s ready for you to go on, then you need to go on.’ ”
Marley died of blunt force trauma Dec. 5, 23 days after police found her inside an Airport Plaza motel room, conscious but with injuries from an altercation with a man. Cruse said she’s glad she’s getting to tell her daughter’s story now, because she didn’t want her daughter to be another statistic.
Roanoke ended last year with 12 homicides. But police never notified the public about Marley’s death, or about the April 23 death of 48-year-old Paul Trost, a homeless man found below a bridge. His death was also ruled a homicide.
The Roanoke Times learned of the Oct. 11 death of David Mills 20 days after it occurred when the newspaper obtained a search warrant. When a reporter initially asked the department Oct. 4 about an assault the day earlier, police said a man had been injured in a fight with his son.
The Roanoke Times also asked the department three days after Marley was assaulted about a reported incident at the Thirlane Road motel. A spokesman said there had been a fistfight. Marley’s death was made public this month after the newspaper asked for a complete list of 2016 homicides in the city.
No state law requires departments to let the public know when a death is ruled a homicide, but it might be in a department’s best interest to do so, said Tod Burke, a criminal justice professor at Radford University and former police officer in Maryland.
“You want to do this for transparency purposes as well as for investigative purposes,” Burke said. “People may have information that can get back to the department about the death.”
Police Chief Tim Jones said he isn’t trying to keep anything out of the media. But, he said, unless someone asks about a case, the department does not have the responsibility to notify the public when a death is ruled a homicide, particularly if the death happens well after the person was initially hospitalized, or if the death is ruled a homicide weeks or months after the incident.
“There’s no reason that we would or would not release it. No one asked, and we’re under no obligation to release that information,” Jones said.
He said the department has a responsibility to notify the public of a homicide in two scenarios: if a death resulted from an incident that posed a threat to the community, like a shooting, or if someone is charged or indicted by a grand jury after a homicide takes place. At the end of every year, the department releases an annual tally of homicides.
Policies vary among Virginia agencies about how to handle the release of this kind of information.
Virginia State Police do not have a specific policy regarding when the department should notify the public about a homicide, spokeswoman Corinne Geller said.
Typically, the department releases information about homicides or death investigations as soon as the family has been notified, Geller said.
The Chesterfield County Police Department alerts the public about homicides “as soon as reasonably possible,” said Public Information Coordinator Elizabeth Caroon. She said if the victim’s family hasn’t been reached yet, the department releases basic information usually within hours of the incident but withholds the name.
“I can’t think of a case in which we’ve waited to notify the public that a homicide has taken place,” she said.
Roanoke City Manager Chris Morrill, who hired Jones in July, said the police department follows best practices. He declined in an email to discuss specific cases.
Mayor Sherman Lea said Tuesday he didn’t know the police department’s procedures on how it releases information about homicides.
“I always want residents to know what has happened in the community. I think it’s important for the public to know,” Lea said. “But I’ll leave it to Jones on the decision. Personally, I think the citizens would want to know.”
‘Easy prey’
Tracy Altizer, the Rescue Mission’s director of development, said she was not aware of Trost’s death until this week and was shocked it hadn’t been previously reported.
Trost, who had stayed at the mission and also frequented the Samaritan Inn, died April 23. Officers went to the 10th Street Bridge at 10:57 p.m. to investigate a report of a person down, police said. Initial evidence indicated alcohol was involved and that Trost had potentially fallen down a concrete incline that was part of the bridge, police said. But medical examiners later ruled the death a homicide by blunt force trauma.
Altizer said the mission works closely with law enforcement to address the safety of homeless people in the city because living in the streets poses a danger.
“Homeless people are notoriously easy prey,” she said. “They’re carrying suitcases or bags, and it makes for easy victimization.”
Roanoke Commonwealth’s Attorney Donald Caldwell said his office has deemed the case not prosecutable. He said there’s some indication that Trost was involved in a fight with another homeless man and that the other man knocked him down.
“It’s hard to say whether the injuries were from being hit or falling down,” Caldwell said.
No one is charged at this time in Marley’s death. James Kevin O’Dell was arrested Nov. 12 and charged with malicious wounding and assault and battery.
In the wake of Marley’s death last month, those charges were dropped, and Caldwell said Tuesday he plans to present the case to a grand jury as soon as the medical examiner’s report is complete.
Marley graduated from William Fleming High School in 2000 and had two beloved cats, Cheech and Chong, her mother said. She was outgoing and enjoyed spending time with her friends. Cruse was so close with her daughter that they lived together. Marley began dating O’Dell last February, Cruse said.
That’s when her daughter’s life began to spiral downward, Cruse said. Cruse moved out in September. She said Marley lost her job and her house. Cruse lost touch with her daughter until she called police, who told her Marley was in the hospital.
“I never got to speak with her again,” Cruse said.
Stacey Sheppard, director of housing and human services for Total Action for Progress, said it’s important for the public to know about cases like Marley’s, which can remind people about the availability of domestic violence services.
“A crucial time to reach out is in that early stage of when someone is spiraling down,” Sheppard said.
Cruse said it was too late when she realized she needed to do something to help her daughter.
“She had people who cared about her,” she said. “I wish she could have known at her low points how many people cared so much about her.”
Staff reporter Neil Harvey contributed to this report.
By Amy Friedenberger and Tiffany Stevens
Tammy Cruse didn’t get a chance to say goodbye to her daughter.
Erin Marley, 34, was at LewisGale Medical Center on life support after being severely beaten at a Roanoke motel on Thirlane Road. She couldn’t speak.
“I pray she heard me and she knew I was there,” Cruse said. “I just said, ‘You have to do what’s right for you. If you feel it’s ready for you to go on, then you need to go on.’ ”
Marley died of blunt force trauma Dec. 5, 23 days after police found her inside an Airport Plaza motel room, conscious but with injuries from an altercation with a man. Cruse said she’s glad she’s getting to tell her daughter’s story now, because she didn’t want her daughter to be another statistic.
Roanoke ended last year with 12 homicides. But police never notified the public about Marley’s death, or about the April 23 death of 48-year-old Paul Trost, a homeless man found below a bridge. His death was also ruled a homicide.
The Roanoke Times learned of the Oct. 11 death of David Mills 20 days after it occurred when the newspaper obtained a search warrant. When a reporter initially asked the department Oct. 4 about an assault the day earlier, police said a man had been injured in a fight with his son.
The Roanoke Times also asked the department three days after Marley was assaulted about a reported incident at the Thirlane Road motel. A spokesman said there had been a fistfight. Marley’s death was made public this month after the newspaper asked for a complete list of 2016 homicides in the city.
No state law requires departments to let the public know when a death is ruled a homicide, but it might be in a department’s best interest to do so, said Tod Burke, a criminal justice professor at Radford University and former police officer in Maryland.
“You want to do this for transparency purposes as well as for investigative purposes,” Burke said. “People may have information that can get back to the department about the death.”
Police Chief Tim Jones said he isn’t trying to keep anything out of the media. But, he said, unless someone asks about a case, the department does not have the responsibility to notify the public when a death is ruled a homicide, particularly if the death happens well after the person was initially hospitalized, or if the death is ruled a homicide weeks or months after the incident.
“There’s no reason that we would or would not release it. No one asked, and we’re under no obligation to release that information,” Jones said.
He said the department has a responsibility to notify the public of a homicide in two scenarios: if a death resulted from an incident that posed a threat to the community, like a shooting, or if someone is charged or indicted by a grand jury after a homicide takes place. At the end of every year, the department releases an annual tally of homicides.
Policies vary among Virginia agencies about how to handle the release of this kind of information.
Virginia State Police do not have a specific policy regarding when the department should notify the public about a homicide, spokeswoman Corinne Geller said.
Typically, the department releases information about homicides or death investigations as soon as the family has been notified, Geller said.
The Chesterfield County Police Department alerts the public about homicides “as soon as reasonably possible,” said Public Information Coordinator Elizabeth Caroon. She said if the victim’s family hasn’t been reached yet, the department releases basic information usually within hours of the incident but withholds the name.
“I can’t think of a case in which we’ve waited to notify the public that a homicide has taken place,” she said.
Roanoke City Manager Chris Morrill, who hired Jones in July, said the police department follows best practices. He declined in an email to discuss specific cases.
Mayor Sherman Lea said Tuesday he didn’t know the police department’s procedures on how it releases information about homicides.
“I always want residents to know what has happened in the community. I think it’s important for the public to know,” Lea said. “But I’ll leave it to Jones on the decision. Personally, I think the citizens would want to know.”
‘Easy prey’
Tracy Altizer, the Rescue Mission’s director of development, said she was not aware of Trost’s death until this week and was shocked it hadn’t been previously reported.
Trost, who had stayed at the mission and also frequented the Samaritan Inn, died April 23. Officers went to the 10th Street Bridge at 10:57 p.m. to investigate a report of a person down, police said. Initial evidence indicated alcohol was involved and that Trost had potentially fallen down a concrete incline that was part of the bridge, police said. But medical examiners later ruled the death a homicide by blunt force trauma.
Altizer said the mission works closely with law enforcement to address the safety of homeless people in the city because living in the streets poses a danger.
“Homeless people are notoriously easy prey,” she said. “They’re carrying suitcases or bags, and it makes for easy victimization.”
Roanoke Commonwealth’s Attorney Donald Caldwell said his office has deemed the case not prosecutable. He said there’s some indication that Trost was involved in a fight with another homeless man and that the other man knocked him down.
“It’s hard to say whether the injuries were from being hit or falling down,” Caldwell said.
No one is charged at this time in Marley’s death. James Kevin O’Dell was arrested Nov. 12 and charged with malicious wounding and assault and battery.
In the wake of Marley’s death last month, those charges were dropped, and Caldwell said Tuesday he plans to present the case to a grand jury as soon as the medical examiner’s report is complete.
Marley graduated from William Fleming High School in 2000 and had two beloved cats, Cheech and Chong, her mother said. She was outgoing and enjoyed spending time with her friends. Cruse was so close with her daughter that they lived together. Marley began dating O’Dell last February, Cruse said.
That’s when her daughter’s life began to spiral downward, Cruse said. Cruse moved out in September. She said Marley lost her job and her house. Cruse lost touch with her daughter until she called police, who told her Marley was in the hospital.
“I never got to speak with her again,” Cruse said.
Stacey Sheppard, director of housing and human services for Total Action for Progress, said it’s important for the public to know about cases like Marley’s, which can remind people about the availability of domestic violence services.
“A crucial time to reach out is in that early stage of when someone is spiraling down,” Sheppard said.
Cruse said it was too late when she realized she needed to do something to help her daughter.
“She had people who cared about her,” she said. “I wish she could have known at her low points how many people cared so much about her.”
Staff reporter Neil Harvey contributed to this report.
