VA - Shooting Rampage, Appomattox, Christopher Speight, 17-19 Jan 2010

[Cerenity2u]

Yes, the 3 yr old is from the second marriage, Morgan is from the first marriage. They have all been living in the home together and they both legally own the home. Through local chatter, it really is sounding like there was indeed a huge argument over last weekend about the house. We feel pretty confident that the argument basically sent him over the edge and he made his mind up right then what he was going to do. With all the explosive devices they have located so far and they are still looking for more, it is obvious that he took the time over the course of a couple of days after the argument to build and place these bombs and prepare himself to go through with this horrible ordeal. We think he had the mentality that if he couldn't have and live in that house on that property, then nobody would. Unfortunately the other family involved showed up at just the wrong time, and had their lives taken too, but killing them were not in his plans...this is just so sad. Also, I know there is conflicting reports about the 3 year old also being a victim or not....so far everyone, including those close to the family members are saying that yes, the poor little 3 year old was also found dead in the home, if that changes, I don't think it will . Also, they have officially charged him with 1st degree murder.

I believe that is correct. In the story I posted above, it does mention what you wrote .... they were both living in the house that their mother deeded to them, so he and his sister were co-owners.

I did read their mother's obituary and when the mother died in Dec 2006, his sister and her former husband were mentioned in the obit.
I'm guessing -- and not that this matters, but just for clarification --
that Chris's sister divorced and remarried, which is why her new last name is Dobyns. And from what I've read, there's a little boy involved, 3 or 4 years who is the son of Chris's sister, Lauralee.
Not sure if she had him with her previous husband or current husband (Mr. Dobyns). Again, not important, but it could help with knowing his name (Whether his last name is Sipes or Dobyns... I'm guessing it's Dobyns since Morgan's is Dobyns and she is his big sister).

If anyone can clarify, that would be good. I don't was to post any incorrect info...

 

[PrayersForMaura]

Ok, so according to this release, Chris's sister's previously married last name was Dobyns, and Sipe is Lauralee's new last name. I had that one wrong based on her Facebook page.

Here's the list, may they all rest in peace. Such a damned shame:

—Ronald I. Scruggs II (aka "Bo"), 16, of Dillwyn, Va.
—Emily A. Quarles, 15, of Appomattox, Va.
—Karen Quarles, 43, of Appomattox, Va.
—Jonathan L. Quarles, 43, of Appomattox, Va.
—Dwayne S. Sipe, 38, of Appomattox, Va.
—Lauralee Sipe, 38, of Appomattox, Va.
—Joshua Sipe, 4, of Appomattox, Va.
—Morgan L. Dobyns, 15, of Appomattox, Va.

http://www2.wsls.com/sls/news/local...id_victims_in_appomattox_co._shootings/76192/

 

[PrayersForMaura]

Just to clarify for everyone...

Chris is the lone gunman charged with all 8 murders.

Lauralee is Chris's sister.
Her husband is Dwayne
Joshua is their son.
Morgan is her daughter from a previous marriage.

Bo (aka Ronald) and Emily are boyfriend/girlfriend, and very good friends with Morgan.
Emily's mom and dad (Jon and Karen) drove them over to Morgan's house so the kids could hang out.
They unfortunately were thrust unwillingly and unknowingly into this massacre.

So sad that Chris felt the need to kill anyone, let alone 8 innocent people... basically, to me, FOUR children.
What the heck did they do to him??
Much less Karen and Jon. What did they ever do to him?
Heck, poor Lauralee and Dwayne, too. This is just tragic on so many levels.

 

[Missizzy]

So so sad. The evil of a mental break. The frightening thing is that each one of us and our loved ones can fall victim to it and not really see it coming. My heart goes out to those left behind.

It was asked if Speight grew up in this house. FWIW, I don't think so. My husband is a contractor and we build and rebuild period appropriate homes. This home looks to have been either built or extensively remodeled in the last 10-15 year, IMO. Any more information on Speight's father?

Paranoid schizophrenia does not typically (I would say rarely) have an onset at age 39. My guess is that neighbors, family members, classmates, and friends might have seen some red flags. We know he argued extensively. We know he was increasing his target practice. It will be informative to learn from those involved just what was observed in the preceding months, weeks, and days. I'm always grasping at straws. I want to know what you and I can do to prevent this from happening in our communities and our families. What do we watch for? What do we do if we see the red flag? Will anyone listen?

I was so hoping the 4 year old wouldn't be included but there he is. Bless them. I want to believe that the families passed over together.

 

[PrayersForMaura]

So so sad. The evil of a mental break. The frightening thing is that each one of us and our loved ones can fall victim to it and not really see it coming. My heart goes out to those left behind.

It was asked if Speight grew up in this house. FWIW, I don't think so. My husband is a contractor and we build and rebuild period appropriate homes. This home looks to have been either built or extensively remodeled in the last 10-15 year, IMO. Any more information on Speight's father?

Paranoid schizophrenia does not typically (I would say rarely) have an onset at age 39. My guess is that neighbors, family members, classmates, and friends might have seen some red flags. We know he argued extensively. We know he was increasing his target practice. It will be informative to learn from those involved just what was observed in the preceding months, weeks, and days. I'm always grasping at straws. I want to know what you and I can do to prevent this from happening in our communities and our families. What do we watch for? What do we do if we see the red flag? Will anyone listen?

I was so hoping the 4 year old wouldn't be included but there he is. Bless them. I want to believe that the families passed over together.

I haven't found info on Chris's dad but I am still checking around.

Emily has three siblings. They just lost not only their sister, but their mom and dad, too. I can only imagine how devastated they are. It's unfathomable. I am sending extra prayers their way. I hope they can find some strength during this horrible time. I hard a hard enough time burying a sibling, I could not imagine how they feel losing their parents, too. They seemed like they were a close family. Godspeed....

 

[oceanblueeyes]

Just to clarify for everyone...

Chris is the lone gunman charged with all 8 murders.

Lauralee is Chris's sister.
Her husband is Dwayne
Joshua is their son.
Morgan is her daughter from a previous marriage.

Bo (aka Ronald) and Emily are boyfriend/girlfriend, and very good friends with Morgan.
Emily's mom and dad (Jon and Karen) drove them over to Morgan's house so the kids could hang out.
They unfortunately were thrust unwillingly and unknowingly into this massacre.

So sad that Chris felt the need to kill anyone, let alone 8 innocent people... basically, to me, FOUR children.
What the heck did they do to him??
Much less Karen and Jon. What did they ever do to him?
Heck, poor Lauralee and Dwayne, too. This is just tragic on so many levels.

It seems in his mind he thought he was going to be tossed out of the house. That however was delusional thinking since he was a co-owner and I believe in his deranged mind he thought if he couldn't live there then none of them were.

And like it so many other cases totally innocent people died because the perpetrator wasn't going to leave any eye witnesses behind.

Yes, this is very tragic. Now all these people have been destroyed and for what? He knows he is going to get the death penalty for this imo.

imo

 

[forgottencash]

I grew up not too far from Appomattox and learned that Speight attended my high school so I came here to get the real news. I'm confused about the sister's last name. On her Facebook, she is Lauralee Speight Dobyns, but isn't Dobyns the first husband's name?

 

[Fairy1]

What a tragic story all around. The kids' FB tribute pages made me cry. Prayers to the families and friends left behind to deal with all of this.

 

[wadahoot]

Friends Shed Light on Christopher Speight
"Personally, I think he felt very threatened by that because it was set up the way he wanted," Anderson said.

The way I'm reading this is that he was very particular about how things had to be 'just so' and perhaps the way his Mama had them? Sounds to me like there are some real mental health issues.

 

[oceanblueeyes]

So so sad. The evil of a mental break. The frightening thing is that each one of us and our loved ones can fall victim to it and not really see it coming. My heart goes out to those left behind.

It was asked if Speight grew up in this house. FWIW, I don't think so. My husband is a contractor and we build and rebuild period appropriate homes. This home looks to have been either built or extensively remodeled in the last 10-15 year, IMO. Any more information on Speight's father?

Paranoid schizophrenia does not typically (I would say rarely) have an onset at age 39. My guess is that neighbors, family members, classmates, and friends might have seen some red flags. We know he argued extensively. We know he was increasing his target practice. It will be informative to learn from those involved just what was observed in the preceding months, weeks, and days. I'm always grasping at straws. I want to know what you and I can do to prevent this from happening in our communities and our families. What do we watch for? What do we do if we see the red flag? Will anyone listen?

I was so hoping the 4 year old wouldn't be included but there he is. Bless them. I want to believe that the families passed over together.

This article said the home was sold to Speight's grandparents 25 years ago.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation...+usatoday-NewsTopStories+(News+-+Top+Stories)

When neighbors heard Speight had been arrested, they were perplexed.

Elbert Williamson, 85, a retired bus driver, said his daughter sold Speight's house and 34 acres of land to Speight's grandparents 25 years ago. The family kept to themselves, he said, but he had never heard of Speight having trouble with anyone.

Williamson's wife, Ruby, 83, said the home was nicely landscaped. "He worked hard in that yard," she said. "He had gorgeous flowers."

imo

 

[Wes]

I grew up not too far from Appomattox and learned that Speight attended my high school so I came here to get the real news. I'm confused about the sister's last name. On her Facebook, she is Lauralee Speight Dobyns, but isn't Dobyns the first husband's name?

I think so. Her current husbands name is Sipe.

 

[pamlet]

I noticed in the obit of the mother in 2006 it listed the sister and her husband as living in Marietta, GA. It may be that the stress of them moving into the house with kids .. then they possibly wanted to have the house - he did express he felt they were going to push him out .. (not that they were - but he apparently felt they were)..

The argument if possibly what made him crack .. but it probably had been brewing in his mind for quite a while ..

 

[PrayersForMaura]

APPOMATTOX, Va. (AP) -- An attorney says the man suspected of killing eight people at a home in Virginia had a history of mental problems.
Lynchburg attorney Henry Devening handled legal matters for the family of suspected shooter Christopher Speight.
The owner of a market where Speight worked as a security guard says Speight was worried about his sister and brother-in-law kicking him out of the house where they all lived. The sister and brother-in-law were among the shooting victims.
But Devening says he doesn't understand how Speight could have thought that. He says Speight's sister last week signed a deed putting the Appomattox property in Speight's name.
Devening says Speight had a history of mental problems and ran away from his sister's Georgia home during a breakdown in 2007.


http://www.wdbj7.com/global/story.asp?s=11845860




i am sorry, but people with a history of mental problems should not be granted permits to own guns.

 

[Missizzy]

That's real comforting to know that we're doling out badges and guns to those with diagnosed mental health issues. My Lord.

 

[Missizzy]

Speight was also known locally as a "fervent" Jehovah's Witness.

http://hangoverhelper.blogspot.com/2010/01/shhoting-rampage-in-virginia-bolo-for.html

Does it bother everyone else as much as it does me when friends say that murderers and other violent offenders should also be remembered for the "good they've done"? I think when you've just gunned down 8 innocent adults and children, any good you might have down got trumped by evil.

 

[tapu]

Yes. It more than bothers me. It is a stunning, complete break with reality. A shock that someone can even let that come out of their mouths.


I can't imagine it coming up in any other circumstance either. Like if someone were found out to be abusing cats in the neighborhood and someone said about them, yes, but he has always been so great about cleaning up litter around the park and all. We should think of him in that light.

That would seem preposterous, a puzzling outrage. What, then, is it in the case at hand??

 

[oceanblueeyes]

APPOMATTOX, Va. (AP) -- An attorney says the man suspected of killing eight people at a home in Virginia had a history of mental problems.
Lynchburg attorney Henry Devening handled legal matters for the family of suspected shooter Christopher Speight.
The owner of a market where Speight worked as a security guard says Speight was worried about his sister and brother-in-law kicking him out of the house where they all lived. The sister and brother-in-law were among the shooting victims.
But Devening says he doesn't understand how Speight could have thought that. He says Speight's sister last week signed a deed putting the Appomattox property in Speight's name.
Devening says Speight had a history of mental problems and ran away from his sister's Georgia home during a breakdown in 2007.


http://www.wdbj7.com/global/story.asp?s=11845860




i am sorry, but people with a history of mental problems should not be granted permits to own guns.

So the house wasnt his sister's after all. He had been left to him in a Trust by his grandparents.

From your link:

State police are still not commenting on what caused Christopher Speight to possibly kill eight people. Many have wondered if a disagreement over Speight's house may have set him off.

Some who are close to the situation say Speight and his sister, Lauralee Sipe, were fighting over the house on Snapps Mill Road that Speight was living in.

Speight's grandparents left the house to him in a trust. Lauralee Sipe was the trustee, or legal go between person for that trust. It was her job to make sure Speight got the house when his grandparents died.

Sipe's attorney, Henry Devening, says Lauralee came to his office last week and signed over the deed to the house for her brother.

Devening wonders if Speight knew about the transaction. Because of the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday, Devening thinks there might have been a delay in getting paperwork filed to show Speight that he was the rightful owner of the house.

 

[Cerenity2u]

I just wanted to let you all know that the below in bold is not accurate. There have been many inconsistencies in the media reporting which is pretty common, so I thought I would try and correct the info for you here.
The home was not left to Speight by his grandparents. The home was deeded and transferred to Speights and Lauralee (sister) by their Mother months before her death from a brain tumor. Info today from very close friends and family today said that Speight and Lauralee have been fighting and arguing over the home for the past 2 years, with the fighting increasing for the past 6 months. There was definitely a very heated argument between Speight, Lauralee and her husband last Sat. I found out that it was Lauralee and her husband who wanted to sell the property, with Speight refusing to sell. We are all confused as to why an argument of such magnitude occurred on Sat if Lauralee signed the home over to Speight before the incident. Did she not tell him during the argument?..lots of new questions arising because of this.
More guns and explosive devises along with sleeping bags and a stash of food along with other survival equipment were found in an area on the property yesterday. Friends have reason to believe that he may have been staying outside of the home since the argument occurred on Sat. Speight was a very clean cut, clean shaved, extremely organized type of guy...when they showed the live video clips of his arrest he did indeed look like he had been living outside for days, rather than just the 20 hrs after the shooting. You could tell there was at least 3 days worth of hair growth on his face, which he did not have on his face early sat, before the argument.
Also, I just wanted you all to know that the people here are not going to say what is really on their minds to the media. This is really hard on the community and especially hard on those who knew the families including the shooter. It's very hard to fathom for many that Speight actually committed this horrible crime. It is even hard for me, as he and his family were good customers at the greenhouse I work at. It's difficult to wrap our brains around the fact that someone who portrayed himself as the super nice guy we all thought he was, could actually do something so horrible. But with that said, off of the cameras and away from the media this community would like to beat Speight to death with a baseball bat right now, and most of us want to see the death penalty brought to the table. I would be very surprised if they can even find an unbiased jury here for trial.
The teenagers of this community are having a horrible time with the loss of their 3 friends. Morgan, Emily and Bo were very popular, down to earth, loving, all around wonderful kids. They were truly loved by their peers. The kids are having a hard time with the media, they want to be left alone to deal with their loss. Every place the kids have tried to congregate together, they have been bombarded by the media. At the church where they were congregating, we actually saw reporters shoving microphones in their faces. It was horrible, as it was so obvious they wanted to be left alone.
If I hear any more, I'll let you all know.

So the house wasnt his sister's after all. He had been left to him in a Trust by his grandparents.
From your link:

State police are still not commenting on what caused Christopher Speight to possibly kill eight people. Many have wondered if a disagreement over Speight's house may have set him off.

Some who are close to the situation say Speight and his sister, Lauralee Sipe, were fighting over the house on Snapps Mill Road that Speight was living in.

Speight's grandparents left the house to him in a trust. Lauralee Sipe was the trustee, or legal go between person for that trust. It was her job to make sure Speight got the house when his grandparents died.

Sipe's attorney, Henry Devening, says Lauralee came to his office last week and signed over the deed to the house for her brother.
Devening wonders if Speight knew about the transaction. Because of the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday, Devening thinks there might have been a delay in getting paperwork filed to show Speight that he was the rightful owner of the house.

 

[oceanblueeyes]

I just wanted to let you all know that the below in bold is not accurate. There have been many inconsistencies in the media reporting which is pretty common, so I thought I would try and correct the info for you here.
The home was not left to Speight by his grandparents. The home was deeded and transferred to Speights and Lauralee (sister) by their Mother months before her death from a brain tumor. Info today from very close friends and family today said that Speight and Lauralee have been fighting and arguing over the home for the past 2 years, with the fighting increasing for the past 6 months. There was definitely a very heated argument between Speight, Lauralee and her husband last Sat. I found out that it was Lauralee and her husband who wanted to sell the property, with Speight refusing to sell. We are all confused as to why an argument of such magnitude occurred on Sat if Lauralee signed the home over to Speight before the incident. Did she not tell him during the argument?..lots of new questions arising because of this.
More guns and explosive devises along with sleeping bags and a stash of food along with other survival equipment were found in an area on the property yesterday. Friends have reason to believe that he may have been staying outside of the home since the argument occurred on Sat. Speight was a very clean cut, clean shaved, extremely organized type of guy...when they showed the live video clips of his arrest he did indeed look like he had been living outside for days, rather than just the 20 hrs after the shooting. You could tell there was at least 3 days worth of hair growth on his face, which he did not have on his face early sat, before the argument.
Also, I just wanted you all to know that the people here are not going to say what is really on their minds to the media. This is really hard on the community and especially hard on those who knew the families including the shooter. It's very hard to fathom for many that Speight actually committed this horrible crime. It is even hard for me, as he and his family were good customers at the greenhouse I work at. It's difficult to wrap our brains around the fact that someone who portrayed himself as the super nice guy we all thought he was, could actually do something so horrible. But with that said, off of the cameras and away from the media this community would like to beat Speight to death with a baseball bat right now, and most of us want to see the death penalty brought to the table. I would be very surprised if they can even find an unbiased jury here for trial.
The teenagers of this community are having a horrible time with the loss of their 3 friends. Morgan, Emily and Bo were very popular, down to earth, loving, all around wonderful kids. They were truly loved by their peers. The kids are having a hard time with the media, they want to be left alone to deal with their loss. Every place the kids have tried to congregate together, they have been bombarded by the media. At the church where they were congregating, we actually saw reporters shoving microphones in their faces. It was horrible, as it was so obvious they wanted to be left alone.
If I hear any more, I'll let you all know.

Thank you for the information but I am very puzzled by this.. are you saying that Lauralee's own attorney Henry Devening doesnt know what he is talking about?

Speight's grandparents left the house to him in a trust. Lauralee Sipe was the trustee, or legal go between person for that trust. It was her job to make sure Speight got the house when his grandparents died.

Sipe's attorney, Henry Devening, says Lauralee came to his office last week and signed over the deed to the house for her brother.

Devening wonders if Speight knew about the transaction. Because of the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday, Devening thinks there might have been a delay in getting paperwork filed to show Speight that he was the rightful owner of the house.

Thanks in advance.

 

[oceanblueeyes]

In this article it said that the father abandoned them thirty years ago.

So did their mother live with her parents then?

http://www.examiner.com/a-2434242~Uncle__No_sign_of_trouble_from_Va__killing_suspect.html

Speight had struggled since his mother died from brain cancer in 2006, his uncle Thomas Giglio said Thursday. Speight's father abandoned them some 30 years ago, and he and his mother were very close.