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A 16-year-old is accused of breaking into a Virginia home, killing an 82-year-old man and wounding his 73-year-old wife in order to steal the couple’s car to visit his girlfriend
A 16-year-old is accused of breaking into a Virginia home, killing an 82-year-old man and wounding his 73-year-old wife in order to steal the couple’s car to visit his girlfriend.
News outlets report the teen appeared in court Wednesday via video. He was arrested Tuesday on charges including first-degree murder and aggravated malicious wounding, hours after the attack on Roger Wood Payne Jr. and Nancy Payne.
The teen’s name hasn’t been publicly released. Prosecutor Rusty McGuire has filed paperwork to prosecute the teen as an adult.
Prosecutors say the teen visited the Paynes’ twice on Tuesday, returning with a shotgun. They say Nancy Payne survived by playing dead.
They say the teen had wanted a car to visit his girlfriend at the University of Lynchburg. He was pulled over before he got there.
His father, Andre Dickerson, told WVIR-TV that his son hadn’t been “acting right” in recent weeks.
“I spoke with people and his probation officer and said I could see something wasn’t right in his voice. And I begged them to give him the help, you know, send him somewhere,” Dickerson said. “I still have a lot of questions, you know? This is not my son, I know that’s not him. I mean, he’s known for helping people.”
Prosecutors said the teen took the couple’s cellphones and ordered them to the railroad tracks behind their home. Roger Payne was shot in the face and died. It’s unclear where Nancy Payne was wounded, but prosecutors said she was eventually able to go to a neighbor’s home to call for help.
The teen is set to appear in court again on Nov. 26. He’s being held without bond.
Nancy Payne has undergone surgery and remains hospitalized. More surgery is expected. Her husband’s body has been set to a medical examiner for autopsy.
