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Virginia Cold Cases

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Virginia Murders

If you are interested in learning more about data or statistics for the number of murders in Virginia by year, this information is available on law enforcement sites such as the Virginia State Police, which provide information and analysis in their annual reports. Additionally, the Federal Bureau of Investigation puts together and releases a Uniform Crime Report each year that details the types of crimes committed along with their respective crime rate, and the locations of crimes in most counties and cities within each state in the US. Another helpful resource is Project: Cold Case, a nonprofit whose mission is to publicize all unsolved murders in the United States, as well as connect details, law enforcement, and families in order to assist in the solving of cold cases. Project: Cold Case has created a comprehensive database containing the general information for nearly 25,000 cases across the United States. Their website also has a page that demonstrates each state’s statistics regarding the number of illegal murders and the murder clearance rate in each state. According to this page, between 1980 and 2019, there were approximately 23,117 homicides in Virginia, per Project: Cold Case. Over the years, 17,601 of those murders were solved, leaving authorities with approximately 5,516 unsolved murders in Virginia. You may freely explore more about each unsolved murder in most places in Virginia by accessing Project: Cold Case’s database as well as cold case or unsolved homicide webpages inside numerous Virginia law enforcement departments.

Some of the unsolved murders in northern Virginia include the 2001 murder of Ursula Haberland, the 1980 murder of Terry Blackstock, the 1986 murder of James Campbell, the 1994 murder of Jeanette Copeland, and the 2001 murder of Ho Young Park, as well as the 2012 disappearance of Sage Smith. Additionally, the 2013 murder of Felicia Diggs Williams, the 1985 murder of Theresa Lynn Baker, the 1984 murder of Jessica Hatch, the 1974 murder of Warren Randolph Coleman, and the 1990 double-murder of James Sherrin and Deborah Ferguson include a few examples of unsolved central Virginia murders which you may be able to find within various lists and databases provided by law enforcement on their websites.

The 2002 murder of Nancy Cho, the 2002 murder of Victoria Ann Parent, the 2001 murder of Erica Brown, the 2000 double-murder of Kenneth and Anjanette Murphy, the 1999 murder of Daniel Roop, and the 1996 double-murder of Cynthia and Heather Johnson include additional examples of cases you may find on these websites, being a few of the unsolved murders in Richmond, Virginia include, among many others. Lastly, a few examples of the many unsolved murders in Henrico County Virginia include the 1972 murder of James Adams, the 1984 double-murder of Donna Hall and Michael Margaret, the 1985 murder of Bernette Harris, the 1996 murder of Carolyn Ann Johnson, and the 2007 murder of Ralisha Alexander, among others.

Unsolved Virginia Murders

As previously mentioned, you may access murder data on multiple law enforcement websites, but you can also obtain a comprehensive breakdown of the quantity of unsolved homicides in each state on the Project: Cold Case website. To restate, Project: Cold Case reports that there are presently only around 311 unresolved cases in Virginia, a figure that has decreased drastically as law enforcement continues to investigate the remaining unsolved crimes. The websites of different municipal and county law enforcement agencies include information on most, if not all, unsolved Virginia murders split into various categories. The first category, northern Virginia unsolved murders, include the following: the 2001 murder of Ursula Haberland, the 1980 murder of Terry Blackstock, the 1986 murder of James Campbell, the 1997 double-murder of Bobby and Patricia Quisenberry, and the 2001 murder of Ho Young Park, along with the 2012 unsolved disappearance of Sage Smith.

Additional categories that you may be able to find among the lists are unsolved murders Richmond, Virginia, which include the 2002 murder of Nancy Cho, the 2002 murder of Victoria Ann Parent, the 2001 murder of Erica Brown, the 2000 double-murder of Kenneth and Anjanette Murphy, the 1999 murder of Daniel Roop, and the 1996 double-murder of Cynthia and Heather Johnson, among many others. Finally, the 1983 murder of Hazel Williams, the 1980 murder of Priscilla Wilson, the 1992 murder of Jack Cowles, the 1999 murder of Ronald Haynes, and the 2014 murder of Asabech Abayneh, are among countless others of unsolved murders in east Virginia.


Joseph Smedley
Joseph SmedleySuspicious Death, 2015
Asha Degree
Asha DegreeMissing, 2000

Consider this

More than 200,000 unsolved cases have gone cold since 1980, and murder clearance rates continue to drop. With equity for BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and other underserved victims not prioritized in the true crime community—together we can do better.

Famous Virginia Murders

If you’re fascinated by real crime, your undoubtedly interested in everything from cold cases to solved crimes; which would be included in any list of all Virginia murders. A list of Virginia murders may contain both unsolved and solved murders, as well as famous Virginia murders, notorious Virginia criminals, well-known mysterious disappearances, or even infamous Virginia serial killers. Some of the most infamous Virginia murders include the 2012 murder of Sage Smith, and the 1986-1989 Colonial Parkway Murders, among many others.


Homicide Rate in Virginia

Per the 2019 Uniform Crime Report which is found on Federal Bureau of Investigation website; the violent crime rate in Virginia was about 208 instances per 100,000 citizens. In a nutshell, this suggests that in 2019, about 208 people living in Virginia per 100,000 were personally impacted by violent crime. According to the same report, the 2019 homicide rate in Virginia was 5 per 100,000 persons. This signifies that around 5 individuals per 100,000 Virginia inhabitants were killed in 2019.

Richmond, Virginia’s capital, currently has a population of more than 230,000 as of the latest census. In 2018, the violent crime in Richmond, Virginia was about 517.56 per every 100,000 residents, and the Richmond, Virginia murders rate was approximately 22.62 for every 100,000 in 2018. Even though there’s no exact way to know how many murders in Virginia 2021 or how many murders in Richmond, Virginia 2021, we can estimate from archived reports that the violent crime rate as well as the murder rate in both appears to be increasing annually.

Henrico County Murders

Henrico County, Virginia now has a population of over 330,000. Although we do not know how many murders occurred in Henrico County in previous years, based on historical FBI Uniform Crime Reports, we do know that there were 16 Henrico county murders in 2016, 25 murders in 2017, 12 murders in 2018, and 7 murders in 2019. According to this data, the number of murders in Henrico County per year appears to be slowly dropping, while keeping reasonably steady over a longer period of time.

In most murder cases, officials may gather enough evidence from Henrico County murders to charge someone with the offense before eventually taking them to their Henrico County murders trial. The evidence, which is frequently used in Henrico County homicide trials, is completely reliant on the specifics of the crime itself. For instance, evidence can span from DNA evidence (blood and saliva) to digital evidence (cell phone pings). However, the most typical piece of evidence exhibited in homicide cases is generally Henrico County murders crime scene photos, which are shown to show the jury the area surrounding the event as well as any items of evidence.


Richmond, Virginia Murders

Richmond, Virginia homicides appear to be significantly more prevalent than murders in other Virginia cities given its size and population. Countless recent and decades-old murders in Richmond, Virginia, have already been resolved, and authorities are continuing their investigations into the remaining unsolved crimes. As predicted, until all of the remaining murders are solved, the Richmond murders discussion will continue on social media like Facebook, Reddit, and Websleuths, where individuals theorize and exchange information about Richmond murders pictures, crime scene photos from Richmond murders, and Richmond, Virginia murders autopsy photos, that are frequently not published even when a case has been solved.

In recent years, great advancements within DNA technology has resulted in the resolution of hundreds, if not thousands, of decades-old cold cases, and Virginia is no different. Among the numerous examples in which Richmond murders DNA as well as DNA from crimes in other regions of Virginia was used to solve or provide new information to cold cases include the 1986 murder of Christy Lynn Floyd, the 1994 murder of Henry Weatherford, and the 1987 murder of Roberta Poortje.

Virginia Serial Killers

If you love true crime, you might be interested in serial killers. If you’ve ever looked through a serial killer list, you’ve surely come across one of Virginia’s serial killers without even knowing it. Understandably, there aren’t as many Virginia serial murderers as you might think, but they do occasionally appear on any list of serial killers in Virginia. One of the few Richmond, Virginia serial killers, Leslie Leon Burchart, commonly known as ‘The Golden Years Killer,’ who murdered at least 7 elderly ladies in 1996, is among the most notorious Virginia serial killers who frequently appear on these lists. Timothy Spencer, commonly known as the Southside Strangler, is another serial killer from the Richmond, Virginia area who murdered four women between 1984 and 1987. Another unidentified serial murderer is the Colonial Parkway Murderer, who murdered at least eight individuals between 1986 and 1989.


Crimes in Virginia

If you want to discover more about the data and statistics concerning crimes in Virginia, some law enforcement agencies issue annual reports can be accessed on their website that indicate the crimes in that region. In addition, the Federal Bureau of Investigation publishes a Uniform Crime Report each year that details crimes, crime rates, and crime locations in every state, county, and city, including a report on crime in Virginia.

Unfortunately, it appears that there will never be an end to the number of Virginia homicide and true crime stories in Virginia. According to Project: Cold Case, there were about 23,117 homicides in Virginia between 1980 and 2019. Around 17,601 of the killings were solved throughout the years, leaving around 5,516 unsolved homicides in Virginia alone. Despite this, Virginia’s numerous law enforcement organizations will never stop working to solve all of Virginia’s true crimes, no matter how long it takes, and the amount of resources it requires.


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Additional Virginia Cold Cases

Rachel Nicole GoodTrevor BaldwinSage SmithPatricia Ann MooreBayard CousinsJoan CookJanet Renee FieldPatricia Eve GauglerConnie HinerBrian BreedenChantel E NorvilleSilas CallowayFrederick County Jane DoeHattie BrownLogan BowmanCarmela BuchananJudy SylvesterCody GrahamAshley HuddlestonFlora HelmickJohn KeytonHermine LohningerJohn SamenAmy BradleyDeborah TaylorAllyson DaltonGina HallKatherine WorskyKevin SmithJulian ZachariaBethany DeckerTammy AkersHelen AllisonDavid BlockettBrenda DavidsonKelly DoveMary HarrisonDarren HillisJudith HoffermanRichard Miller JrRobert MotleyAngela RaderMarcia RemickWilliam RenerElsie RoaneDiane ToddDavid WatsonVirginia WelchJose Alas RamirezRodney KiserHazel KlugDoris LentzRobert LongBenjamin LottJoyce McCollumLeyla McCullaghErik McFaddenPriscilla McKeeMichael McLaughlinMichael MerrittJennifer MontelloSarah MurrayLarry NorthamMary OsborneAngela OwenZulma PabonJennifer PandosDavid PersonJerry PlasterFrank PowellClarence PrestonDonald PulleyJeffrey QuickSherry QuinnMyra RameySharon RedmonAndrew Redmon Jr.Terry ReevesMelissa RobbinsPhyllis RodgersEdgar Rodriguez-RojasJaneth RoweQuantez RussellBonnie SantiagoPatricia SchmidtAlexander SmithDashad SmithIsrael SmithEric SmithLauren SmithCarol SmithLee SnellingsJohn SpiersMargaret Stamper-WhiteStephen TalleyTravis TaylorElizabeth ThomasAnne TurnerAnthony TurnerDarline VaughanCharlene VillingerJames WalkerStephanie WallaceTerence WashingtonKathleen WilliamsJimmy Williams IIIJohn WinglerHoward WoolwineJanice WrightElizabeth ActonWilliam AdkinsBrett AkersGenoveba AlvarezNorma AvillanKevin BakerMichael BallardVereley BanksRobert Banks Jr.Christopher BarnesMarcus BarrellDonald BillingsWilliam BisbeeSoloman BlowJames BoydGerald BradshawLaurie BradshawDoris BrownJames Brown, Jr.Jeffery BurchettBertha BurkholderRichard CallMichael CamillettiDwayne ChickThylea ChisholmSamantha ClarkeMarjorie ClatterbuckAlana ColeRandall CollinsSean CrispinRebecca CristHope CurryCrist Dauberman Sr.John DavisArianna DavisMelanie DavisAutumn DayShane DonahueChristopher DouthatWilliam DudleyThomas DuesterhausRichard DyerAnthony DyerNicholas EcholsDaniel EyeRobert FitzgeraldJulie FraserWebert GeorgesReshaunda GeraldDonna GibsonShawn GivensKim GonzalezKenneth GrahamRichard GreenMichael GreenKathryn GriffinAnita GunnCassandra HaileyKathleen HaleyRobert HallDonna HarrisDavid HartingDaniel HatterWilliam HensleyTawanda HillThomas HilliardHeather HodgesLillian HoffritzRobert HourihanPaul HughesKeeshae JacobsWilliam JenkinsMichael JohnsonJanice JohnsonKeir JohnsonPaula JonesSharon JonesAnne JustusJames Bandy Jr.Shaquita BellLinda LunsfordCurtis AllenAgnes BanwellDavid McCrawEugene MorrisJasmine OrtizLarry PerryJoseph SlaughterLorenzo Smith JrGunnar BergJames BrittJonathan DoreyHaydn GomezBarbara HuntJeremy JohnLewis JohnsonBrian JolleyIsabel Makielski-RiveraRichard BasgierRex CasperRhea GuptaRawan MahmoudAhmed MahmoudSlayton SaldanaRandolph SedlackWaverly Sharpe JrAnn ShawQuinn WoodfolkKianna BergMelissa BrannenArieanna DayGeorgios DrakontaidisEthan JohnGregory NeveuBrittany WilliamsLateasha BrooksAlex Bolanos-MartinezMichael CooperJohn HayesAgusto Maldonado ArandaMishan MishanIvan TerryJamal Abdul'FaruqPedro Martinez-RamirezDana TurnerChloe JohnsonAron SilvermanDavid MyersVirginia Beach John DoeHanover County John DoeCody MatneyMontie LaneStephen HurleySean McCrackenDelicia WaddyEric HunterDeborah SellersAnnie HorneAnthony BerriosEarnest MitchellReina Alonso-GonzalezLuis ContrerasEmmaline GrayMark LemieuxKathleen HuldermanHarold MolohonForest FergusonMerlyn Guardado MenjivarLeyla NamiranianDaria FinnPamela MorrisonCharles Monroe Jr.Zabullah AlamJin ChinKawan PryorCavil ShirleyJaisle ThomasYuan WangMargarett MarionJeffrey SpruillKimberly BrittsBarbara MonacoOral FahrettinJulian McDanielsTaylor MachadoShirley RussellNigel EnnelsJordan DeanPreston CarterIlsy Puac-AlvaradoEverardo Lopez JuarezKatelin AkensBellamy GamboaGabriel Makielski-Rivera