Churchville Man Charged with Murder
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Updated: 3:44 PM Jun 15, 2009
Churchville Man Charged with Murder
Churchville, Va.
A Churchville man is in custody and charged with first degree murder after a call to police Friday night.
Posted: 9:50 AM Jun 14, 2009
Reporter: McKinsey Harris
Email Address: McKinsey.Harris@whsv.com
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A Churchville man is in custody and charged with first degree murder after a call to police Friday night.

Police say they received the call around 11:30 p.m. Friday reporting a suspicious man, who appeared drunk, at the Food Lion parking lot in Verona. They ended up finding much more.

Virginia Richmond lives on Lismore Lane and says she listens to police scanners at night. She was listening Friday and heard the call about her neighbor.

"Just heard where they gotten some suspicious vehicle in Verona at Food Lion, but we had no idea that it was our neighbor," says Richmond.

When the police arrived at the store, they found Timothy Aaron Wilkins in his car. Lt. A.C. Powers says they also spotted the dead body of Misty Phillips.

"In the back, it's a 4Runner, with a tarp over it with just the back of the head showing," says Powers.

Wilkins was arrested and has been charged with first degree murder.

The cause of Phillips' death is still unknown, but Powers says it wasn't from a gunshot.

Neighbor Michael Poole says he had to call the police on Wilkins a few times to complain about noise, but this caught him off guard.

"Shocked," comments Poole.

Richmond agrees, saying she saw Wilkins and Phillips as they'd come and go and never expected this.

"Scary. I said too close to home. Really too close," says Richmond.

It's not only neighbors who are scared. Food Lion customer Donna Michael says that shopping center is generally pretty calm.

"I can't imagine. My chest feels tight, it's just like a real shock. Just that it seems like something you would see in a movie and not here in this town," says Michael.

Wilkins is currently being held at the Middle River Regional Jail without bond.

Phillips's body is in Roanoke for an autopsy. The cause of death should be known in a couple of days.


Latest Comments

Posted by: angela Location: augusta county on Jun 14, 2009 at 02:56 PM

Im speechless. I was born and raised in Verona. Its always been a peaceful and quiet small town.
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