57-year-old Betty Gowen has confessed to the murder of her 63-year-old husband in Shipman on the 17th. The two had a history of domestic disputes, and Sheriff Gary Brantley described the murder as “not unexpected.” The story is in today’s Progress.
News and meta-news about Charlottesville, VA, since 2001.
Sideblog
Police announced this afternoon that their investigation into what was initially believed to be a fatal fire on Rugby Avenue is now a homicide investigation. #
The Virginia Supreme Court has denied George Huguely’s appeal. His second-degree murder conviction will stand, WRIC reports. #
In a carefully worded story, and not citing specific sources, WTVR reports that forensic evidence belonging to Jesse Matthew Jr., the main suspect in the disappearance of Hannah Graham, matches forensic evidence collected during the investigation of Morgan Harrington’s 2009 murder. #
In the wake of Hannah Graham’s disappearance, and the evidence that came from private security footage, city officials are revisiting the question of installing security cameras on the downtown mall. #
Both Charlottesville Registrar Sheri Iachetta and former Electoral Board member Stephanie Commander have turned themselves in to the police on
foursix and four felony counts of embezzlement, respectively. #Ten years ago, the National Institutes of Health budget doubled and schools like the University of Virginia built massive new research facilities. A decade later, those buildings remain largely underutilized. NPR visits UVA in this story on the effect of federal binge and spurge spending in the sciences. #
In 2012, Council approved a new student housing complex on West Main—now some council members are questioning whether what they were shown matches what was built. #
The Architectural Review Board has approved a bike-themed mural on West Market, below the McGuffey Art Center, although at least one member expressed concerns that it might look like the bicyclists were riding away from Charlottesville’s downtown. #
City Police Chief Tim Longo is meeting with city leaders to work on protocols regarding the use of military surplus police weapons in Charlottesville. #
A 100-year-old Colonnades resident received military honors for her service in the WWII Women’s Army Corps #
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“Not unexpected”? What on earth does that mean? Was someone actually expecting Mrs. Gowen to go off and kill her husband? If so, why the heck didn’t they inform the police? I suspect this quote just may be taken out of context and actually means something else. Or at least I hope it does.
It was indeed a bit out of context (the danger of partial quotes without the accompanying caveats). According to the DP, the original statement was:
“You never expect these kind of things, but when you’re having those kinds of problems, it’s not unexpected either,” [Gary] Brantley said. “They’d spent quite a lot of time in court with domestic problems, those two.”