Most of the homicides in Charleston in 2015 were similar circumstances to previous years, except for one, said Lt. Steve Cooper, the city's chief of detectives.
Police said Heather, a sex worker in Charleston, killed Neal Falls, 45, of Springfield, Oregon, after he attacked her on July 19. He had arranged to come to her home through Backpage.com, a website commonly used to find prostitutes.
Police said later they suspected Falls was a serial killer, after several axes, a shovel, knives, a machete, bleach, a pair of boots, handcuffs and a bulletproof vest were found in his vehicle.
Heather said she saw her chance when he put the gun down to grab a rake out of her hand. She grabbed the gun, shot behind her, and was surprised when the gun actually went off.
“I don't see myself as anybody special, or a hero,” she said later that week. “I seen him lay the gun down and that was my only chance.”
Cooper said this week that while the homicide rate for 2015 was similar to previous years, that case stood out to him.
Charleston police have sent Falls' DNA to other agencies throughout the country, to see if Falls is connected to any unsolved murders, but they haven't received any results back yet.
“Typically, when DNA comparisons are being done, cases where the suspect is still at large or facing trial get precedent,” he said. “Those are more pressing. Since Mr. Falls is deceased, it's not as much of a hurry to compare those samples.”
Police are awaiting results from Las Vegas, where four prostitutes who sold their services online were killed and dismembered. Cooper said Falls lived in the area at the time.
“Numerous other jurisdictions have requested samples to compare to their databases,” he said. “I don't expect anything back until after the first of the year.”
Eight people were killed in Charleston in 2015.
Arrests were made in all except for a shooting on the West Side early Thursday morning as of Friday afternoon. J'shaad Jones would have turned 19 on New Year's Day, but was killed outside Artie's Kickback Lounge early Thursday.
Cooper said the number was typical of recent years. Seven slayings were reported in 2014.
At least six people were killed in Kanawha County outside of Charleston city limits in 2015.
The Kanawha Sheriff's Office also is investigating the death of Frances Wartenburg, although it isn't clear where she was killed. Wartenburg, a 33-year-old mother from St. Albans, was last seen in late February, but her body, stuck in a tree along the Ohio River in Gallia County, Ohio, wasn't found until early May. Her death remains a mystery, but Kanawha County Sheriff's Office spokesman Sgt. Brian Humphreys said deputies continue to investigate her death.
“As new people are interviewed, and others reinterviewed, and as lab results are returned and examined, there is still hope,” he said. “But we also believe more information is out there that could be useful.”
He said anyone with information on her death should call 304-357-0169.
Of the Kanawha and Charleston homicides in 2015, 64 percent were gun related, while 21 percent involved a knife.
Of the victims in cases where ages were reported, the average victim age was 33, and the median victim age was 29. The oldest victim was 52 and the youngest was 18.
Of the cases where a suspect was charged, the average age of the suspect was 34, and the median age was 29. The oldest person charged was 59, and the youngest was 18.
Jan. 23: In the 5300 block of Starling Drive, officers found Christopher “Snacks” Carey, 27, of Rand, dead in the street. They later charged Gerald Maxwell, 29, of Rand, with murder. William Lyttle, 23, of Costa, and Todd Hodge, 32, of Rand, allegedly played roles. They both made deals with Kanawha County prosecutors in November and will testify against Maxwell.
Feb. 13: Steven Craig Coleman, 27, allegedly gave his father, Steve Slater, and Melody Ann Oxley, 43, the heroin that killed her. Police say they injected the heroin in a bedroom at the back of Slater's house on Seventh Avenue on the West Side of Charleston, according to the complaint. Coleman's trial is set for Feb. 22.
Feb. 18: A pharmacist at Good Family Pharmacy, Don Radcliff, shot and killed a masked, would-be robber who walked into the business and pulled out a gun. Terry Gillenwater, 25, of Quick, was pronounced dead at a hospital. Radcliff was ruled justified in his actions.
Feb. 18: Thomas Fluty, 59, of Big Chimney, was arrested and charged with murder the following day for allegedly stabbing Benny Anderson to death. Fluty called Kanawha County Metro 911 at about 10:30 p.m. from 4832 Chimney Drive in Charleston and said “there was a fight and now someone is dying,” then hung up, according to a criminal complaint filed in Kanawha County Magistrate Court.
July 19: Neal Falls was killed by a woman he met on Backpage.com, a site often used to find escorts, after he attacked her at a house in the 800 block of 6th Street, according to police. The woman, identified as Heather, reportedly used Falls' gun to kill him after he beat and choked her.
Aug. 1: Sgt. T.A. Jarrell, an 11-year police officer, shot and killed David Lane Cooke, 52, of Nitro, after responding to a call about a domestic incident. Jarrell was dispatched to the 1000 block of Main Avenue, according to police. While on his way to the scene, the officer was told that the suspect had left and had pulled into the Nitro boat ramp, about a mile away. Police said as soon as the officer arrived, Cooke opened fire.
Sept. 22: Police said they found Bryson “B” Ward, of Detroit, dead outside 1311 Renaissance Circle, the result of a fall from the window of apartment 912 shortly before midnight, as well as evidence of a struggle inside the apartment. Tyler Ferrebee, 23, of Dunbar; Brian “BK” Parks, 26, of South Charleston; and Martez “Quick” Griffin are each charged with one count of felony murder and one count of first-degree robbery. Lisa Ferrebee is charged with accessory to felony murder and accessory to first-degree robbery.
Oct. 16: Patricia Miller, 50, of Charleston, was charged with second-degree murder after stabbing Victoria Summers, 29, once in the chest with a steak knife, police said. Summers died after being taken to Charleston Area Medical Center's General Hospital. The women argued over the lease at 529 1/2 Nancy St., police said.
Oct. 23: Police said Dominic Clark, 24, was shot several times in the back and chest at 507 1/2 Ohio Ave. Darius Coles, 18, is charged with first-degree murder in the death.
Nov. 10: Matthew Roohollahi, 30, of Lakin Street, was charged with first-degree murder after he allegedly fired through his front door, killing his uncle's girlfriend, 22-year-old Andrena Smith. Smith had shown up to check on the family after hearing that Roohollahi's sister's ex-boyfriend had been shooting at the house.
Nov. 28: Larry Hailey called Kanawha Metro 911 at about 4:30 a.m. to say he had shot a burglar. The homeowner waited for police to arrive at his house, located in the 2000 block of East Dupont Avenue, near Witcher Creek and Belle. Justin William Jones, 33, of Spring Fork Drive, near Charleston, was found shot dead in the bedroom of the home. Kanawha County Prosecuting Attorney Chuck Miller said at the time it was too early to decide if Hailey would be charged. Humphreys said this week that based on the preliminary investigation, Hailey's actions appear justified.
Dec. 18: Scott Meador, who was hired to work on security cameras at the shuttered Foxy Lady club at 6907 MacCorkle Avenue, allegedly stabbed Glen Carpenter to death, then walked to a bar and told someone, police say. He is charged with first-degree murder.
Dec. 27: Tremaine Jackson, of Charleston, allegedly shot to death Bryan Rogers, 29, of the Ripley area, in an alley near the intersection of Rebecca Street and 7th Avenue. Jackson told police that Rogers had stolen about $3,000 worth of heroin from him several weeks earlier, according to a criminal complaint filed in Kanawha County Magistrate Court. Jackson is charged with first-degree murder.
Dec. 31: J'shaad Jones, 18, of Charleston, was killed in the early morning hours outside of Artie's Kickback Lounge. Police hadn't named any suspects as of press time Thursday.
Staff writer Dan Desrochers contributed to this story.
Reach Erin Beck at <URL destination="https://www.facebook.com/erinbeckwv/">Facebook.com/
erinbeckwv</URL>, erin.beck@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-5163, or follow
@erinbeckwv on Twitter.