Last Thursday, Nov. 10, 32-year-old Lynda Meagher died of a single stab wound to the chest. A resident of the 8500 block of Richmond Highway, she became the fifth murder victim in the Mount Vernon District this year. Her 49-year-old acquaintance, Samuel K. Hamlett of the 8400 block of Graves Street, has been charged with her murder.
The police report said that neighbors in the 8400 block of Graves Street called police about 7:50 p.m. to report an argument. Officers responded to Hamlett’s apartment and found Meagher dead.
Arriving officers questioned the man leaving the apartment building. He was later identified as Hamlett and subsequently charged with murder. Following his arrest, was taken to the Adult Detention Center.
“There was an apartment full of people who knew one another," said Capt. Mike Kline, commander of the Mount Vernon District Station. "The argument ended the way we hope arguments won’t end up. Alcohol with quick tempers end up with problems. We always hope there won’t be another one.”
JUST A COUPLE OF WEEKS ago, 26-year-old Henry J. Andrade was shot in the upper body on Halloween night, Monday, Oct. 31. A 17-year-old Mount Vernon youth was arrested by a Mount Vernon District patrol officer at his home. He was charged as a juvenile with murder and use of a firearm during the commission of a felony and held at the Juvenile Detention Center.
Police reports say that Andrade was standing outside his residence in the 2300 block of Fort Drive with friends around 11:30 p.m. He was approached by another group, who had apparently been arguing earlier in the day. One of those was a teenager with a gun who shot Andrade in the upper body. The victim died at the scene.
ERIC MILLER, 45, is believed to have been murdered on Aug. 29 at the Alexandria Hotel on Richmond Highway. Dana E. Moro, 46, has been charged with murder and is being held without bond.
Miller’s body was found on Aug. 31 in the trunk of a burned car a few blocks from First and K Streets in Washington. A D.C. medical examiner ruled that Miller died from blunt force trauma.
Kristin Kozak contacted police days after the murder and testified about what happened in the hotel. According to court documents, detectives found blood spatter throughout Room 16 of the Alexandria Motel. Moro was arrested on Sept. 7. Kozak was not charged in the crimes.
ON THURSDAY, AUG. 25, a 20-year-old McLean-area man was killed in the Mount Vernon area. According to police report, police responded to 6107 Beech Tree Drive for reports of a shooting. Inside the residence police found Anthony Sherbaf, of the 8100 block of Birnam Wood Drive, dead from a gunshot wound to the upper body.
Police arrested Brendan Klos, 21, of the 6100 block of Beech Tree Drive and transported him to the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center where he was charged with murder and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. Klos is being held without bond and is expected to be indicted by a grand jury next month. The suspect and the victim were known to each other.
ON MONDAY, MAY 9 around 11 p.m., officers were called to the Hybla Valley area of Blankenship Street and Colony Court for a report of shots fired. When officers arrived a 21-year-old Hispanic man from the Alexandria area was found lying on the ground with a gunshot wound to his upper body. He was transported to Inova Fairfax Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
A second victim, an 18-year-old Hispanic man, was also located. He was treated at Inova Mount Vernon Hospital for a gunshot wound to his upper body and later released. The investigation is still ongoing.
Kline said that in every one of these cases there was a direct relationship between the victim and the suspect. They were either related or they knew each other. In all cases, except for the one in May, a suspect has been identified and charged. A suspect has been identified in that case, but the investigation is ongoing.