Deputy U.S. Marshal John W. Ludwig celebrated his 51st birthday last Tuesday, July 5, and confessed the next morning to killing his wife, according to a court affidavit.
He called the Loudoun County SheriffÕs Office at 8:38 a.m. and admitted to the shooting death of Karen M. Ludwig, 38, the court document said. The couple had been married for 21 months. John Ludwig, a 17-year-veteran of the U.S. Marshals Service, had lived on the corner of Hollywood Park Place and Churchill Downs Drive in the Belmont Ridge area of Ashburn for about 10 years, neighbors said.
Sheriff Steve Simpson said John Ludwig directed authorities to his wife's body in an upstairs bedroom. Ludwig used a personal handgun, which was found at the foot of a bed, Simpson and the affidavit said. Simpson said John Ludwig shot his wife ÒmultipleÓ times, but the sheriff would not specify how many times nor the location of the wounds.
Karen M. Ludwig had a daughter who was living in another state, Simpson said. He was not sure whether John Ludwig had any children.
Simpson also said John Ludwig was cooperating with investigators, but the sheriff would not disclose the motive other than to say it was Òdomestic dispute.Ó
JOHN LUDWIG, a criminal investigator, also tried to kill himself, the court affidavit said. Deputy CommonwealthÕs Attorney James P. Fisher said Friday that investigators found remnants of heavy drinking and multiple medications in the house. Fisher said there were indications that the defendant had been drinking whiskey, but he would not answer any other questions relating to the alcohol or medication remnants.
ÒWithout commenting on the evidence specifically, indicators at this point in time are that the act was deliberate and also involved a heightened degree of anger,Ó Fisher said.
The affidavit said the employer of John LudwigÕs mother called 30 minutes after he made the 911 call to report that he had told her he had shot his wife and had attempted an overdose.
Lt. Col. Randy Badura, a spokesman for the SheriffÕs Office, said he would not release a picture of John Ludwig, because of the secrecy involved in the U.S. Marshals Service. Neighbors said the accused has salt and pepper, shoulder-length curly hair, a trim beard and tattoos. He and his wife rode Harley Davidson motorcycles. John Auyb, driving a pickup truck, stopped in front of the house Wednesday night. He told an investigator that he knew John Ludwig, and that they often rode with friends from the Fredericksburg area.
Elizabeth Oluoch, the LudwigÕs next door neighbor, said the bikers parked their "hogs" in front of the Ludwigs' house after the annual Rolling Thurder ride in Washington, D.C., on Memorial Day weekend. When she and her husband first moved onto Hollywood Park Place, John Ludwig warned them that he always celebrated that holiday. Oluoch said she was surprised they did not have a party on July Fourth, considering that John Ludwig was so patriotic.
Tony Malacarne, another neighbor, said 40 to 50 Harleys were parked at the Ludwigs' on Memorial Day. He also saw John and Karen Ludwig riding their bikes home in the middle of the afternoon July Fourth. ÒI was walking the dogs,Ó he said. ÒI was just getting home when they came riding in. ItÕs hard to say whether there was any agitation.Ó
LAW ENFORCEMENT officials cordoned off the portion of the street in front of the house Wednesday, wrapping yellow tape across two separate sections of Hollywood Park Place and around the two-story, split level. Two deputies guarded the open front door until a search warrant was presented about 3:30 p.m. Simpson said the warrant was delayed, because of an equipment malfunction inside the SheriffÕs Office mobile command unit. Investigators had to obtain a court magistrateÕs signature on a warrant before they could conduct a search.
Simpson said two evidence technicians then went inside to take video and still photos and to gather evidence. Three HenryÕs wreckers, escorted by three investigators, towed one silver Chevrolet SUV Trail Blazer and one red pickup truck with a four-foot bed, which were on the street, and another black pickup truck of the same make and model as the red one in the driveway. Simpson said they would be taken to a secure area where a thorough search would be conducted. The silver SUV belonged to the U.S. Marshals Service, Simpson said. At 7:20 p.m., authorities moved the wifeÕs body from the house to the medical examinerÕs office in Fairfax County.
NEIGHBORS AND spectators stood on lawns, sidewalks and streets or drove by to watch five members of the U.S. Marshals Service, deputies and the sheriff, two members of the SheriffÕs Auxiliary, CommonwealthÕs Attorney James Plowman, his deputy and an assistant, and others set up a command center and secure the area. Plowman and his family had just returned from a beach vacation that day. He checked in with the office and learned about the shooting. Wearing a five-oÕclock shadow, a navy blue cap and casual attire, Plowman stood with his peers in the hot afternoon sun. Print journalists and photographers canvassed the neighborhood and questioned authorities. Television journalists and camera persons from at least three stations kept vigil throughout the day and evening, presenting live shots from the scene.
John Ludwig was arraigned in Family and Domestic Relations Court Thursday. He is being held without bond in the Loudoun County Adult Detention Center. Fisher said the defendant probably will be charged with the use of a firearm.
Don Hines, spokesman for the U.S. Marshal Service, said John Ludwig handled prisoner operations.
Hines said the defendantÕs status was under review and probably would change if he is indicted. However, he would not specify how an indictment would affect John LudwigÕs employment, other than to say it would take a long time before any decisions are made about it. John Ludwig was hired in March 1988. ÒFrom what we understand, it was a domestic case,Ó Hines said. ÒIt is very unfortunate and a very tragic occurrence.Ó
THE BELMONT RIDGE neighborhood is off Hay Road and two-fifths of a mile west of Stone Bridge High School.
Oluoch said the couple would have marked their two-year wedding anniversary Oct. 24, the day before she and her husband celebrate theirs. Before Oluoch and her husband moved in, John Ludwig mowed their lawn twice. He also plowed their driveway in the winter.
"He's really nice," she said. "I was very shocked. They seemed like a happy couple."
Malacarne said he and John Ludwig used to drink a couple of cold beers together and talk about changing school boundaries and other issues affecting the 77 Belmont Ridge homes. They were close from 1995 to 1999, in part, because John Ludwig and his female roommate were friendly then. When she moved out, the friendship dissipated, he said. "Then another lady moved in, I guess it was another roommate." Malacarne said he didn't know Karen Ludwig at all.
John Ludwig spent his free time landscaping his home, Malacarne added. "He always kept the house up."
"From my knowledge of him, I was stunned it happened," he said. "You never really saw publicly their relationship. They were either riding or gone or in the house."
Malacarne said he wished John Ludwig well.
Carolyn Veney, who lives on an adjoining street, described John Ludwig as "a very nice, friendly gentleman, who always spoke, or waved."
"I was upset. It disturbed me," she said. "Nothing has happened like this in our neighborhood."
She described the community. "We all look out for each other. We have a community yard sale and picnics. It's a wonderful neighborhood."
Veney, like many of her neighbors, said they did not know Karen Ludwig.
Diana Kash, who lives on Hollywood Park Place, said she was "very surprised" that a shooting would occur in their quiet community. She said John Ludwig was "really nice" and she always saw him out on his motorcycle or mowing the lawn.
Jennifer Santos, who lives across the street from Kash, wondered aloud what would have pushed him to kill his wife. "It's disgusting," she said. "It's the worst thing in the world."
His position as a deputy U.S. marshal only made the shooting even more disturbing, she said. "He's supposed to be protecting citizens."