VA - "Shopping Cart Killer" - SK - 4 bodies found, LE suspects more along east coast, 2021 *arrest*

[sds71]

Police didn't immediately say whether the suspect is in custody.

However, Harrisonburg police arrested a D.C. man earlier this month and charged him in the murders of two women in the Shenandoah Valley. The suspect also was a person of interest in the disappearance of a D.C. woman. That person is being held without bail in Harrisonburg.

Information was not immediately released on whether those cases are related to the announcement Friday.

Police say human remains were found Wednesday tucked away in an isolated wooded area along Fairhaven Avenue in the Alexandria section of Fairfax County. The remains were in a container near a shopping cart.


Potential serial killer in Virginia after 4 bodies found: police


MEDIA ALERT: CHIEF DAVIS TO ANNOUNCE EVIDENCE OF AN ALLEGED SERIAL KILLER IN VIRGINIA

 

[sds71]

@SamFord7News

Fairfax Chief Ken Davis: “He’s killed 4 already and we suspect more.” Fairfax chief says Anthony Robinson,35, of DC met women, took them to motels, killed them, took them out in shopping carts and disposed of the bodies. Dead women found in Ffx and Harrisonburg V

Virginia serial killer 'shopping cart killer' in custody after 4 bodies found (fox5dc.com)

 

[Kristin Esq.]

Fairfax County police are investigating a man they call “The Shopping Cart Killer” after four victims have been killed since August.

Police said they believe suspect Anthony Robinson, 35, is a serial killer. Robinson is in custody, officials said at a news conference Friday.

Detectives believe Robinson met victims on dating websites, went to hotels with them, killed them and then transported their remains in shopping carts. Badly decomposed remains of two victims were found together in a container.

‘Shopping Cart Killer' Investigated in Virginia, Remains Found in Fairfax Co.

 

[Gardenista]

'Shopping cart killer' behind at least 4 Virginia slayings, police say

Virginia police on Friday said they arrested an alleged serial killer who they say is behind four homicides in the state since August.

 

[Oakie]

Here's an interesting side note: apparently, one of his alleged victims was the aunt of murder victim Sage Smith, although police do not think that the 2 cases are connected.

 

[cvaldez1975]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2021/12/17/cheyenne-brown-body-found/

in the link: "Nusereldin Wagiealla, the manager of the Moon Inn, said Robinson checked in at the motel from Aug. 19 to Aug. 21 and again from Sept. 30 to Oct. 1. Wagiealla said Robinson checked in by himself and didn’t cause any issues."

the other victim prob disappeared around Aug 19. because Brown disppeared 9/30 when they met there and the other two victims were later.

I wonder if there are many others. it seems there were 4 in such a short amount of time. they need to track his whereabouts going way back.

 

[cvaldez1975]

wasnt there a case with two women found together in NY some years ago?

ETA i cant find it but i remember two women's bodies found almost on top of each other some years ago in poss upstate NY. it wasnt the ones this year, it was awhile ago, maybe 2015-17.

 

[sds71]

• Robinson was arrested in November and charged with two counts of murder for the deaths of Tonita Smith, 39, and Allene Redmon, 54
• Smith and Redmon were found dead in a vacant lot in Harrisonburg before Thanksgiving; police say they were killed at different times
• Evidence uncovered after Robinson’s arrest led police to a wooded area near Alexandria, where they found a container with two sets of human remains
• One of the victims found in container was tentatively identified as Cheyenne Brown, 29, a pregnant mom who disappeared in September
• Cops say Robinson, who has no prior criminal history, did 'unspeakable things with his victims.
• 'Shopping Cart Serial Killer,' 35, is accused of murdering four women in Virginia | Daily Mail Online

 

[rosesfromangels]

I agree with cvaldez1975, it is highly probable he will be tied to other murders. His DNA and signature should quickly confirm that.

Amateur opinion and speculation

 

[adelynschmidt]

Yikes, 4 murders since august? That’s not a long cooling off period. Very curious about his history prior to august, there’s gotta be more sadly

 

[sallye818]

I would be willing to be he killed more than 4 women too! Where else has he lived? I've been in Harrisonburg several times since August, so creepy.

 

[AC's Grandma]

In my personal opinion he's got a long list of victims along the east coast.

 

[cvaldez1975]

I would be willing to be he killed more than 4 women too! Where else has he lived? I've been in Harrisonburg several times since August, so creepy.

they said DC, VA, MD and NY.

 

[otto]

'Shopping cart killer' behind at least 4 Virginia slayings, police say

Virginia police on Friday said they arrested an alleged serial killer who they say is behind four homicides in the state since August.

That's quite the MO!

"“We need to act right now with our law enforcement partners to figure out who else our killer has had contact with, and what’s his MO — dating sites, motels, blunt force trauma, shopping cart, final resting place," Davis said."
​

'Shopping cart killer' behind at least 4 Virginia slayings, police say

 

[kcrawf85]

That's quite the MO!

"“We need to act right now with our law enforcement partners to figure out who else our killer has had contact with, and what’s his MO — dating sites, motels, blunt force trauma, shopping cart, final resting place," Davis said."
​

'Shopping cart killer' behind at least 4 Virginia slayings, police say

The way that detective said that ... It definitely caught my attention. The shopping cart aspect seems brazen. It made me wonder if perhaps he was homeless although that's not necessarily the picture I'm getting from available info and he was also using dating apps.

 

[Jo in Calif]

Police tell News4 that Robinson could also be connected to the death of 48-year-old Stephanie Harrison.

Her sister, Joei Harrison, says Stephanie flew from California to D.C. to go sight-seeing. She checked into the Moon Inn in Fairfax County in August and then disappeared.

Joei says Robinson and Stephanie were staying in separate rooms at the hotel. She says they did not know each other.

Stephanie had three adult children and three grandchildren. Her remains have not been identified. Joei has agreed to provide a DNA sample to assist with the investigation of her sister's death.

"When I think about my sister, I think about the life she lived," Joei said about Stephanie. "She was beautiful and vibrant."

Robinson is known to have lived in D.C., Prince George’s County, Maryland, and New York, Davis said. He has a “remarkable absence of a criminal history,” compared with the horror of the crimes of which he’s accused, the chief said.

‘Shopping Cart Killer' Behind Slayings of at Least 4 in Virginia: Police

 

[Yemelyan]

I don't know if he ever lived as far as Masssachusetts but I wondered about this set of murders:
Unsolved: Using genealogy to unlock series of murders, rapes in Brockton

A strange coincidence is that the Brockton killer also dumped two victims who were killed at different times at the same wooded site, which is somewhat unusual IMO.

 

[Sleuth307]

They actually revealed a lot of telling info in the press conference and were very honest. When asked if there was DNA, they were very careful to say that they had “physical evidence.” IMO, they usually will go ahead and say straight away that they made a connection through DNA.

When asked about sexual assault and therefore DNA from it, LE said they weren’t sure yet and were still investigating if they were sexually assaulted.

It sounds like when one of the missing Harrisonburg victims went missing they digitally traced her to that motel. Then, as they searched the area, found her body as well as the other victim’s. They were also able to trace the second victim’s phone to the same motel. They believe he was only briefly in Harrisonburg and not very familiar with the area, which made him slip up, clearly.

Robinson was arrested after cellphone records and video evidence linked him to the women.

‘Shopping Cart Killer' Investigated in Virginia, Remains Found in Fairfax Co.

After they had a suspect, they traced his digital movements and found that he went into a wooded area in Alexandria. Searched it and found two bodies.

I couldn’t get over the fact they said he had ZERO record which is unheard of for a serial killer.

The main point of the press conference was to emphasize that after speaking with the FBI, it would be virtually impossible for him to not have killed many others. These four victims were only in a three month time span. FCPD asked various local LE agencies to contact them if they have any missing persons or unsolved murders that fit his MO. They also asked residents to contact them if they ever spoke to AR on any dating app or knew him personally.

I can’t link the press conference as it’s only available through FB, but here is the link on FCPD’s site to the link:

Chief Davis Announces Evidence of an Alleged Serial Killer in Virginia

 

[Yemelyan]

They actually revealed a lot of telling info in the press conference and were very honest. When asked if there was DNA, they were very careful to say that they had “physical evidence.” IMO, they usually will go ahead and say straight away that they made a connection through DNA.

When asked about sexual assault and therefore DNA from it, LE said they weren’t sure yet and were still investigating if they were sexually assaulted.

It sounds like when one of the missing Harrisonburg victims went missing they digitally traced her to that motel. Then, as they searched the area, found her body as well as the other victim’s. They were also able to trace the second victim’s phone to the same motel. They believe he was only briefly in Harrisonburg and not very familiar with the area, which made him slip up, clearly.

Robinson was arrested after cellphone records and video evidence linked him to the women.

‘Shopping Cart Killer' Investigated in Virginia, Remains Found in Fairfax Co.

After they had a suspect, they traced his digital movements and found that he went into a wooded area in Alexandria. Searched it and found two bodies.

I couldn’t get over the fact they said he had ZERO record which is unheard of for a serial killer.

The main point of the press conference was to emphasize that after speaking with the FBI, it would be virtually impossible for him to not have killed many others. These four victims were only in a three month time span. FCPD asked various local LE agencies to contact them if they have any missing persons or unsolved murders that fit his MO. They also asked residents to contact them if they ever spoke to AR on any dating app or knew him personally.

I can’t link the press conference as it’s only available through FB, but here is the link on FCPD’s site to the link:

Chief Davis Announces Evidence of an Alleged Serial Killer in Virginia

Great post and thank you for the synopsis. It was very murky up to this point how they actually tied the first two victims found to him and I still wish we knew more details about this.

I do hope they are looking into him for the Brockton ones I linked above as there are so many similarities in M.O. right down to the victimology and means of body disposal. He is also the right age and ancestry according to Parabon. But, I know just as well that there are many of these monsters out there and Anthony Robinson is not the only one capable of acts like these.

 

[Kristin Esq.]

I agree, I think he's responsible for mor that 4 murders. If he's killed 4 since August, who knows how long he's been doing this and how many he's killed!