Crime and Courts

3 dead in double murder-suicide in rural Virginia

Two women were fatally shot, and the body of a man was found in the basement of a house that had been burned down to the foundation Monday, the Clark County Sheriff's Office said

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The sheriff’s office in Clarke County, Virginia, is investigating a double homicide and suicide at a rural property just outside of Berryville. News4’s Julie Carey reports on the investigation.

After more than five years without a homicide in Clarke County, Virginia, the sheriff’s office is investigating a double murder and suicide that happened Monday on a rural property near Berryville.

One of the victims is a former business owner who was well-known in the close-knit community.

The first 911 call came about 2:30 p.m. from someone in town who saw smoke. First responders arrived to find a house burned down to the foundation. The body of a woman, 58-year-old Susan Hallman, was in the front yard. She had been fatally shot.

Inside the scorched home, investigators found the body of a man who was burned beyond recognition.

As the investigation unfolded, deputies visited a second house on the same private road, about a quarter-mile away. There, they found the body of the property owner, 73-year-old Peggy White. Authorities say White was found shot to death on her front porch, with rifle casings around her. 

The Clarke County Sheriff’s Office is trying to determine who fired the fatal shots. They did not say whether a gun was recovered. They did say they're investigating the case as a double homicide/suicide.

It could take weeks to identify the man found in the burned house.

Hallman had recently moved back into the house, which her ex-husband had rented for years from White. 

Neighbor Johnny Milleson said White was well-known in the area.

“It hit me pretty hard, because Peggy is just a kind soul,” he said. “Everybody loved Peggy. She was kind of quiet. I would see her at the grocery store, at the post office, and she never had a bad word about anybody. Always had a smile on her face.”

CORRECTION (Jan. 29, 2025, 8:39 a.m.): An earlier version of this article reported the date of the crime incorrectly. It happened Monday, Jan. 27.

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