Woman wanted for triple homicide of her roommates arrested after high-speed car chase
Neighbors said the woman moved into the group home about a month ago
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A woman accused of killing her three roommates in Virginia was arrested by police in New York following a high-speed car chase.
Alyssa Jane Venable, 23, was taken into custody by the Spotsylvania Sheriff’s Office on I-86 in Steuben County two days after officials found her roommates dead in a welfare check inside their Fredericksburg.
Investigators say that it is not clear how the woman killed her roommates or what her motive was, but officers have charged her with three counts of second-degree murder and using a firearm to commit a felony.
Police said the victims, identified as Robert John McGuire, 77, Gregory Scott Powell, 60, and Carol Anne Reese, 65, all from Spotsylvania, were deceased from upper body trauma.
She was captured after police spotted a gray 2009 Honda Civic matching the description of the vehicle Venable was known to drive and attempted to initiate a traffic stop. Venable refused to stop and authorities engaged in a high-pursuit chase reaching 100 mph.
During the pursuit, a tire deflation device was used causing the car to crash. The suspect was taken into custody without further incident. Officials transported her to a local hospital for treatment. No other injuries were suffered during the chase.
New York State Police are working to obtain a fugitive warrant for Venable and arrangements for extradition will be forthcoming. An investigation is ongoing and The Independent has reached out to the New York State Police for comment.
The suspect’s grandmother, Jane Venable, told WUSA9 that she wanted authorities to search for her granddaughter as a person who might be a danger to themselves.
“I pray that the authorities are looking for her as a person who is in harm’s way as well because we think she’s in harm’s way if not from someone else but from her own self.
“I’m pleading for the authorities to consider someone who also is in desperate need for help.”
The woman had a history of violent outbursts, according to police and a friend who used to work with her. Alyssa had been charged with assault and battery over an altercation at a McDonald’s she worked at last month.
“If something was wrong, she’d snap at you quick,” Bianca Smith, a former coworker, told the outlet. “I feel like she was in an irritated mood all the time.”
Neighbors said they believed Venable moved into the home a month or so ago. It’s not clear if the victims were related.