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Last Monday a quadruple homicide shook the town of Woodbridgein the state of Virginia. The victims, as it became known, were Peruvians and shared the same house as the possible murderer.
LOOK: United States: Suspect in murder of Peruvians arrested in Virginia
The authorities managed to arrest the main suspect and investigations continue to determine the causes that led to the lurid crime.
The murders took place inside a house located at 5200 Mansfield Court Street. Police officers responded to the scene Monday shortly after 4:30 pm in response to a phone call reporting shots fired inside the residence.
Upon entering the house, which found the doors open, the officers they found four bodies of which at least three had died from a gunshotwhile the results of the autopsy are awaited to determine the cause of death of the fourth victim.
“Police officers are human beings. Walking into a home like that and seeing that someone has died of gunshot wounds is traumatic… But they do it all the time, hats off to them being able to deal with that trauma and then grab a person of interest”, Peter Newsham, Prince William County Police Chief, told Telemundo.
Police cordoned off the street, reported that a suspect had been detained near the crime scene and that the weapon used in the murders was also found at the scene. Until Tuesday, investigators could be seen entering the residence in search of evidence, reported Univisión.
THE VICTIMS
On Tuesday, the police identified the victims and reported that all four had Peruvian nationality. Univision News Washington DC later detailed the names and ages of the victims. Is about:
The same medium detailed that the four victims lived in the same house. Miguel and Kelly had married in March, Karrie was the latter’s daughter, while Revollar was a tenant in the family’s basement.
Milagros Corrales, mother of Richard Revollar, contacted the medium Altavoz to provide more details about her son. According to the woman, Richard had been living in the United States for just over two months, his immigration status was illegal and he had a good relationship with the owners of the house.
Corrales narrated that he had communicated the night before with his son who, on the day of the tragedy, rejected the invitation to a lunch because he had already promised to eat with the family that was hosting him.
PRINCIPAL SUSPECT
Police Chief Newsham reported Tuesday that the main suspect was identified as Daniel Nathaniel Mainea 24-year-old who lived for the last 8 months with the murdered family.
According to authorities, it was Maine himself who called 911 to report hearing gunshots at the residence.
Although the motive behind the quadruple homicide is still being investigated, the police have the main theory that it was a domestic dispute.
“He has been living with them for approximately 7 to 8 months, but my sister never saw strange behavior for him to have committed these acts, ” Pamela Felipe Baltazar, a relative of one of the victims, said in an interview with América Noticias.
According to Newsham, Maine was an acquaintance of another of the home’s occupants who was not in the home at the time of the crimes. Police did not provide details on the identity of that person.
According to authorities, Maine initially shot the 19-year-old and then killed the other three victims.
Maine was found by the police a short distance from the crime scene and was questioned as a person of interest, but they arrested him after suspecting his statements, Univisión detailed.
The alleged murderer had a firearm that he showed off on social networks in 2020. A year later he was involved in an incident when he shot himself in the leg while trying to unload his weapon inside his vehicle. The misdemeanor was not prosecuted and was dismissed in April of this year.
Maine, who is now in a county jail, was held without bail and faces four counts of second-degree murder and two counts of use of a firearm in the commission of a crime.
“This guy has been charged. My hope is that I never see the light of day again”, Police Chief Newsham said.
FAMILY DRAMA
On Tuesday morning, the Foreign Ministry issued a statement extending its condolences to the families of the victims.
In addition, they specified that the consul general of Peru in Washington DC, Carlos Alberto Manchego Gardois, traveled to Woodbridge “to carry out the pertinent coordination with the local authorities”.
Communication on a case related to the death of Peruvian citizens in the State of Virginia, United States.
????https://t.co/gItDqyGvr2 pic.twitter.com/SQrtLAIEWA— Peru Chancellery???????? (@CancilleriaPeru) October 18, 2022
At the time of the publication of said tweet, the Foreign Ministry could not yet confirm that Richard Revollar was a Peruvian national. The young man’s mother, Milagros Corrales, requested through the Altavoz media outlet that the Foreign Ministry give her “a humanitarian visa to be able to travel” and repatriate the body.
“I have two children. He (Richard) was the oldest. I never imagined this“, said.
Tabatha Durand Flores, sister of one of the victims, for her part asked the Peruvian authorities for help in obtaining a visa for her mother in order to travel to repatriate the bodies of the other victims. “What I want most is that they can help us apply for a visa for my mother, and if possible for me. My mom is diabetic, her pressure is measured”, he asked.
Source: Elcomercio
I, Ronald Payne, am a journalist and author who dedicated his life to telling the stories that need to be said. I have over 7 years of experience as a reporter and editor, covering everything from politics to business to crime.
