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| Sharpe, Waverly G. Jr August 1997; Goochland County VA | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Aug 26 2011, 12:30 PM (310 Views) | |
| monkalup | Aug 26 2011, 12:30 PM Post #1 |
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The Old Heifer! An oxymoron, of course.
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Guilt is a difficult emotion. Some people can’t handle it, and when they do something wrong, like commit a crime, they are more than willing to confess their transgression when caught. The other side of that coin is a person with a cold heart. Guilt doesn’t bother them, and even when caught or suspected of a crime, they are unlikely to accept responsibility for their actions. Someplace on this little planet we call home, there are at least three people, maybe more, enjoying life while holding the answers to solve three cold cases in Goochland County. It takes only a few words about one of the cases to bring tears to people who want nothing more than closure and justice. The crimes are all of a different nature and happened years apart. Two, and probably three, people died and left love ones haunted by the memories of what happened. Joan Weigelhofer was killed by a shot from a 40-caliber pistol Aug. 14, 2003. Billy Maxwell was the victim of a hit-and-run driver Sept. 18, 2010. Waverly G. Sharpe Jr. disappeared in August 1997. It’s as though he was simply plucked from the face of the earth. Weigelhofer The old saying that time heals all wounds doesn’t apply to any of the relatives and friends of the victims. “It’s been eight years, and I’m not at all sure now that even if they caught the person that killed my mother that it would do much to ease the pain,” said Jennifer Waldrop, Weigelhofer’s daughter. “All I know is someone needs to pay for the crime.” For Waldrop, the pain of her mother’s death will never go away. “I was the one who found her,” she said. “I will never forget what I saw that day. I live with it every day of my life, and it still causes me to have nightmares. It was horrible.” Weigelhofer was a real estate broker and was murdered at her office on West Broad Street Road. Authorities have suggested since there were no signs of forced entry, that she knew her assailant, and believing she probably had the door locked since she was there alone, she might have even unlocked the door to let the perpetrator in. “Mother never locked the door at the office,” Waldrop added. “There was no need to. Back then, we trusted people. There was no reason to lock it. In fact when I found her, the door was unlocked.” Authorities also reported that a dark black or green late-model SUV was seen at Weigelhofer’s office, Busy Bee Realty, sometime after 3 p.m. when a coworker left her alone and when Waldrop discovered her mother’s body. Maxwell Christina Maxwell’s pain boils over into anger when she talks about the death of her son. “Billy didn’t deserve to die like that,” she said. “Somebody hit him and then left him in the middle of the road to die. They know they didn’t hit a deer. They know it was a human being, and they just drove off.” Maxwell had been at a party earlier in the evening and had gotten a ride part of the way home. He was seen sometime around 3 a.m. by three paper carriers. “They were headed up West Broad Street Road and then they split up and went into separate neighborhoods to deliver their papers,” Christina said. “One of them said he saw Billy walking up the road with his thumb in the air as though he was trying to get a ride. When he came back about half an hour later, he found him in the middle of the road.” The 17-year old was breathing but unresponsive when emergency personnel and police arrived. He died at the scene. “A man who lives near where he was found said about the time it might have happened he heard a crash and a loud bang,” she added. “There are no street lights on the road where it happened. It can be rather dark. Whoever did this knows they were there. They know they hit someone. They can’t hide. They need to come forward and take responsibility for what they did.” Sharpe For Connie Taylor, the loss of Sharpe, her step-brother, is punctuated by the words not knowing. “We don’t know a thing about what happened to him,” she said. “The police tell us they won’t be able to tell us anything or do anything until they have a body or some remains.” Sharpe had been at a social event with some coworkers. One had picked him up and then brought him home. The last time he was seen he was walking towards his trailer. “A friend called my mother [Sharpe’s step-mother] when he couldn’t reach Waverly and asked if she knew where he was and did she think they ought to call authorities,” Taylor explained. “She said he might have taken off so give him a few days. When we did call the authorities and they went to check on him, they found his cigarettes and wallet on the steps of his trailer. Everything inside seemed to be in its place. “There were ground searches all around the area, but there were never any signs of him found,” she said. “I asked the police to check a well on the property because a new one had been dug, and they said they had and didn’t find anything.” Reality for Taylor is almost too painful to endure. “I don’t hold much hope that he is still alive,” she said. “It’s been too many years since he disappeared. All I want now is closure for our family. We’d like to have a body or some remains so we can have a service for him, and of course, we want justice. I believe somebody did something to him, and they need to pay.” Frustration was a word all three women used frequently as they talked about how at times it seemed almost impossible to get information from authorities concerning the status of their cases. They also questioned why it was taking so long to solve them. “They solved a state trooper’s murder within a week, but we sit for years with no answers,” Waldrop said. “It seems like if it’s someone of importance, the case gets solved. My mother, her son and her brother are no less important than that state trooper. They were good people who lived in Goochland County, and they deserve to have their cases solved.” The Virginia State Police Department is handling the Weigelhofer investigation, and the lead investigator is Terence Collins. He was out of town attending to a family matter last week. Anyone with a tip or information concerning the case can call 804-553-3445 or e-mail terence.collins@vsp.virgi nia.gov. The cases of Billy Maxwell and Waverly G. Sharpe Jr. are being investigated by the Goochland County Sheriff’s Department. “Both cases are still active files,” said Lt. James Mann. ‘We followed lots of leads that came in on both cases and they led nowhere. They were always a dead end. Both cases are still open and we continue to seek information and will follow up any lead we receive.” The phone number for the Goochland County Sheriff’s Department is 804-556-5349. On the one-year anniversary of Maxwell’s death, Sunday, Sept. 18, a Memorial Bike Ride will be held. There isn’t a registration fee, but donations that will go to the reward fund will be accepted. The ride will start at 1427 Beaver Dam Creek Road. For more information, visit Facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/pages/4-the-...28909907144961. http://www.goochlandgazette.com/inde...artache/26176/ |
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Lauran "If you have a chance to accomplish something that will make things better for people coming behind you, and you don't do that, you are wasting your time on this earth." The late, great Roberto Clemente. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, any copyrighted work in this message is distributed under fair use without profit or payment for non-profit research and educational purposes only. | |
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| monkalup | Aug 26 2011, 12:30 PM Post #2 |
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The Old Heifer! An oxymoron, of course.
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Photo by Jim Fields Christina Maxwell, seated, holds a picture of her son Billy who was killed on West Broad Street Road Sept. 18, 2010, by a hit-and-run driver. Behind her Jennifer Waldrop, left, holds a picture of her mother, Joan Weigelhofer, who was murdered at her real estate office Aug. 14, 2003. Connie Taylor’s step-brother, Waverly G. Sharpe Jr., disappeared in August 1997. |
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Lauran "If you have a chance to accomplish something that will make things better for people coming behind you, and you don't do that, you are wasting your time on this earth." The late, great Roberto Clemente. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, any copyrighted work in this message is distributed under fair use without profit or payment for non-profit research and educational purposes only. | |
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| monkalup | Aug 26 2011, 12:34 PM Post #3 |
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The Old Heifer! An oxymoron, of course.
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http://z13.invisionfree.com/PorchlightUSA/...0&#entry9846303 |
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Lauran "If you have a chance to accomplish something that will make things better for people coming behind you, and you don't do that, you are wasting your time on this earth." The late, great Roberto Clemente. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, any copyrighted work in this message is distributed under fair use without profit or payment for non-profit research and educational purposes only. | |
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2:01 PM Jul 11