Craig Nordenson, who shot and killed two people at the downtown coal tower last August [1,2,3,4], has pleaded guilty to capital murder. The plea bargain assures that Nordenson will spend his life in prison, with no chance of parole. Adrienne Schwisow has the story 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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It ended as well as something like that can. I’m glad that he did the honest thing and pled guilty. No drawn-out trial to grab the headlines, churning up our memories of the double murder days late last summer.
I spent several weeks investigating the mess. Visits to the scene of the crime. Secretive interviews with witnesses. Videotape of bloodstained ground. Accusations of sloppy crime scene management. It wasn’t a pleasant thing to do. My intention was to put together a definitive account of the entire story for Cvillenews, from the moment things went bad at the Coal Tower to Nordenson’s surrender.
But about halfway through it occured to me that this didn’t need any more digging. Craig Nordenson was a murderer. We all knew he was ‘that sort’ and the evidence was there. He killed some people and was arrested. Any investigative article couldn’t have done any good to anybody (particularly the victims’ families). There was no mystery to be solved. We all just wanted to forget it and move on. I dropped the whole thing and breathed a huge sigh of relief. That kind of work gets to you real fast.
Anyway, I’m glad to see that Nordenson has come to a similar conclusion. No point in dragging us through the whole sick mess again. Craig, you did one decent thing in the end. You fessed up and let us put it all behind us.