Bluemerle

TimesDispatch.com | On crypt's marble, husband sees the face of his late wife

Suspects on way to Richmond

BY PAIGE AKIN
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER



Ray Joseph Dandridge, left, and Ricky Javon Gray, charged with conspiracy in the killings of seven people in Richmond, agreed Monday not to fight extradition to Virginia.

Click here for story

FYI, Steve Huff has a new Web address huffcrimeblog.com or, you can use a this pointer stevehuff.net and end up in the same place.

Steve, tipped by Dan Riehl andthe wayback machine, links to a newly-found 1998 version of a Ray Dandridge prison penpal page, with bonus Poetry ( an example of some of that "poetry, yeah, poetry" work he said he would love for a special lady to see sometime in the 2005 updated pen pal page.)

The 98' version featured a punkier, younger Ray (he's got 6 more years of weight training to go...)

Is Pleased To Present...

Ad started: 09/25/98 Mr. Ray Dandridge

Personal Ad:

My name is Ray but my friends call me Luckey. I'm 25 years old, about 6' tall and 190 pounds. I have baby brown eyes, short hair with waves in it and I'm brown skinned. I'm a SBM looking for a good friend and maybe more.

I'm still missing that special lady in my life and maybe she's you, but everything starts with friendship and I would love to be your friend if you let me in. Your age, size, race and place does not matter to me, because it's what's in your heart that counts with me and what's on your mind.

What I am looking for in a real woman is; she must know where she's going and what she wants out of life and out of a man. These are the things that mean a lot to me. I would like for you to look at me like an open book and feel free to ask me anything that comes to mind because I'm an open-minded person.

I've been down for 3 years now; I have 2-6 years to go. I got locked up for an assault and firearms commission that was behind a woman. Hear that ladies, Ray will fight for your love. And he'll blame you. Ladies, don't hurt Ray. When he gets out of prison, he'll come looking for you.

I like sports, movies, writing poems, cooking, working out and long walks on the beach. I will answer all replies.

Here's where "luckey" gets creative:

"A Standing Ovation for a Black Woman"

Blackwoman, you were put to the test like silver and gold burned by the fires of time. You came through unblemished. You were blessed by the gods to be a strong Black Queen of Queens. You have been the backbone of our nation for many centuries. You have sustained the life of our Black Nation through our hell fires and troubles in history. My Black Queen, you had to endure much and continue to endure much. Our survival would not have been possible if it were not for our strong Black Nubian Queens. You've been the bridge in our life to get us over anything that came our way. This is you, my Nubian Queen; daughter of God, Queen of the Nile. Upon your skin the sun has smiled. You're the essence of god's glorious light with Ebony skin as dark as night. Mother of the Earth; sister to the world, you're more valued than Diamonds, more precious than pearls. A beauty to Behold; A Nubian Queen, you're as beautiful as the Seven Wonders of the World. Your face is as picturesque and shines like a thousand-sun goddess. Your lips open and close rhythmically as you speak only words of wisdom for centuries. You have stood tall and stately like your words, strengthened by strong morals and values. Sister, you're vigorous and exquisite, like the pyramids of Egypt. You're graceful and celestial as an angel. Blackwoman, you're picked from the tree of life and have seen many generations come and go. You are as ancient and as new as today. Your love is as changeless as death; your passion challenged as a raging storm. Your touch is as gentle as a spring breeze blowing through the Cypress trees. A vision of love in every man's dreams, you're all God created to be the perfect example of what a woman's supposed to be like. You're the blood that runs through my veins; you're the every thought within my brain. You are me; for out of you were born all Nations and this is why I give you, Blackwoman, a standing ovation. Written By: Luckey

Write A Letter To This Person Directly At Their Postal Mailing Address!

It's the FASTEST & MOST private way to communicate with a prisoner!

Be sure to tell them you saw their ad on Prison Pen Pals.comã

Postal Mailing Address: Ray Dandridge #235-473

1607 Planters Road (RM-31101) - Lawrenceville Virginia U.S.A. 23868

USE BACK ARROW TO RETURN TO PREVIOUS PAGE

Return To Main Directory

Ooh, the barbed wire is a nice touch.

Was one victim
a partner in crime?

BY JIM NOLAN AND MARK HOLMBERG
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITERS

Jan 9, 2006

Ray Dandridge(left/Photo by prisonpenpals.com), Ricky Gevon Gray (center/Photo by AP), Ashley Baskerville(right/Family Photo) may have all been involved in crimes together.
Ray Dandridge(left/Photo by prisonpenpals.com), Ricky Gevon Gray (center/photo by AP), Ashley Baskerville (right/Family Photo) may have all been involved in crimes together

.

[follow link to full article]

You Are a Good Student of Men

You're pretty good at knowing what men are thinking But you're not dead on 100% of the time Let your guy off the hook sometimes... because you may be reading him all wrong!

H/t Dan Riehl

Ray J. Dandridge kept a penpal website while incarcerated for Robbery and firearm charges. In case the link disappears:

Type of ad - Personal | Basic Ad Start Date 05-24-05 Ad Expiration Date 05-24-06
Site Search Info Sex - Male DOB - 01/24/77 Seeking - Women, Friends, Soul mate Race - African American Religion - Convicted Of - Robbery, Firearm Release Date - 11/15/05 Join Our E-Mail List... be posted on new prisoners & more Main Directory	Dear Friends, Don't judge a book by it's cover we all make mistakes and what don't kill will only make us stronger. My friends call me Luckey. I'm 28, height 6' 0" weight 215. I'm athletically built. I have two tatoos. I'm brown skin with baby brown eyes (smile) I'm from Arlington/Phila. PA. I love to travel, dance, read, write and play chess. I like to play basketball and football, I like most music, sports, and poetry, yeah poetry and I would ;love to send you some of my work. I'm an open minded and very romantic and understanding person. I believe in treating others as I want to be treated and respected in life. I'm looking for good friends and my soul mate. I'm still missing that special woman in my life. I'm hoping to correspond with a mature woman who has a sense of humor, dreams, goals and is very open minded and understanding most of all who knows what she wants out of life, and a rea man. Your age, size and race does not matter, it's what's in your heart that counts and what's on you mind that matters to me. I will answer all responses sent to me. Ray Dandridge # 235473 J R C C State Farm, VA 23160 USA

_____________________


I like this part: I believe in treating others as I want to be treated and respected in life

May I suggest we take Mr. Dandridge at his example about the way he would like to be treated.


H/T VET4BUSH at Websleuths.com

According to WTVR TV6, Two suspects arrested in Pennsylvania for the triple slaying ot 3408 Broad Rock, have also been arrested for the Harvey slayings. They may be linked to additional slayings in the area.

Updated: charged are two individuals, black males, both aged 28
Their names are Ray Joseph Dandridge and Ricky Gavon Gray.

Updated again: The Times Dispatch article up now-

Arrests made in connection with Richmond slayings

Police: They are responsible for Harvey killings

BY MARK HOLMBERG AND JIM NOLAN

TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITERS

Notable extra info -

"[Police Chief RodneyMonroe] stressed, however, that police do not believe Dandridge and Gray are linked to this week's other multiple homicide in Richmond, the New Year's Day slayings of Lewis Aaron Casper and his 17-year-old daughter, Roicana, in the 2400 block of Terminal Avenue in the Bellemeade neighborhood. Police are still pursuing leads in that case."

"We have strong leads," Monroe said of the Casper case, "and will bring this case also to a successful conclusion."

UPDATED 9:59pm Via Pennlive.com:

Police said Gray is from Arlington, but they did not know Dandridge's hometown.

also, via Virginia Courts case information database for Arlington County, Gray was convicted of possession of a concealed weapon in 1996 (Case Number: CR96000178-00), and a charge of distribution of cocaine was nolle prossed in '00. (Case Number:CR00000589-00). He was sentenced to 12 months on the concealed weapon charge.

Friday Night, another Richmond Family was murdered in Richmond.

According to the above linked Richmond Times Dispatch Article,

Family members at the scene said the victims are Mary and Purcell Tucker and Mary’s adult daughter, Ashley.

Aside from near proximity to the Harvey murders, the article notes the victims were bound by duct tape.

According to Richmond Police Chief Rodney Monroe, it remains unclear how the victims died, although he added that they did not appear to have been shot.

Monroe also said it appeared that one or more of the victims appeared to have known the attacker or attackers.
He was also quoted as saying "at this time we not drawn any links to any other cases."

TimesDispatch.com | Another family found bound and slain
in South Richmond last night

Police won't confirm any of these recent slayings are connected - however the map of the crimes is suggestive.
At a recent Harvey memorial, Commonwealth's Attorney Michael N. Herring addressed "Killers" in the plural; below is a quote from the Times-Dispatch:

link "this is a challenging scene and it's going to require your patience. I know you want answers. The police department -- your police department, our police department -- is working diligently to give you answers.

He promised that when "the horrible monsters that did this . . . are apprehended" the way they are dealt with by his office "will be swift and will be just."

quick and dirty - 3 google maps superimposed in p-shop

Driving directions on Google shows the shortest driving distance between the Harvey and the Casper (2400 block of Terminal Ave) slaying sites as almost exactly four miles. It is only 1.2 miles from the Harvey home to the murders at 3408 Broad Rock Rd.

Update" Via Pennsylvania local news affiliate WPVI (abc Action News:

2 Fugitives Arrested in Philadelphia

January 7, 2006 - Philadelphia police have two taken two fugitives on the run from Virginia into custody.
The suspects were wanted in connection with a triple murder in Richmond. They were arrested on Wanamaker Street in Southwest Philadelphia just before 9am.

Update: The murder victims at 3408 Broad Rock have been identified
as Mary and Purcell Tucker and Mary's adult daughter, Ashley.

Also:

The suspects were found in a white Cadillac that was taken from the victims' house, Richmond police Chief Rodney Monroe said at a press conference.

Below is the full-text obituary of Bryan, Kathryn, Stella and Ruby Harvey, transcribed from today's print edition of the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

Bryan T., 49, Kathryn Grabinsky, 39, formerly of Virginia Beach, Stella Ann, 9, RubyMae, 4, all of Richmond, passed away sunday, January 1, 2006. Brayan was preceded in death by his parents, Anne Talley and Charles "Shell" harvey. He is survived by his sister, paige Harvey, his brother Mark B. Harvey, and his wife, Pam; and two nephews. Bryan was employed in the technology department with the Henrico County Public Schools. He was also a musician and member of the NrG Krysys. Kathryn was preceded in death by her parents, Anjo and John Grabinsky. Kathryn is survived by her brother, Steven Culp and family, of Los Angeles, Calif.; sister, Shelly Link, of Virginia Beach; two neices and a nephew. Kathryn was co-owner of World of Mirth in Carytown. Stella was a third grader at Fox Elementary School and Ruby was a preschooler at Second Presbyterian Church's child care center. The family wants to express their heartfelt apperciation for the outpouring of love and concern for Bryan, Kathryn, Stella and Ruby, their families and their friends. The support you gave them in their life and since this tragedy has been overwhelming and deeply felt by all of us. The memories and selebrations of their lives will bring comfort to all of us during this trying time. The family will receive friends 6 to 8 p.m. Friday at the Bliley Homes' Central Chapel, 3801 Augusta Ave. A memomrial service will be held at the Bryd Theatre on Cary St. at 1 p.m. Saturday. In Lieu of flowers, the family requiests donations to be made to the American Cancer Society, 4240 Park Place Ct., Glenn Allen, Va 23060, or the Alzheimer's association 225 N. Michigan Avenue, 17th floor, Chicago Ill. 60601

The Spock Monkey

I totally want one.

Did I ever come up with a word for googling a subject to learn more, and finding your own name as one of the top hits? We need such a word

Well, he probably does.

Used in a sentence:
It's a Looglex recursion alert.

(see also: Lileks convergence alert)

And FYI, it HAS happened to me before.
What. Stop looking at me like that, Burrdog and Perryhead.

Update from WWBT Channel 12 news:

some in the neighborhood worried this was a professional-style hit. Sources close to the investigation say that’s not the case. Instead, saying the killers were sloppy in taking the Harvey family’s lives.

Police say they're still waiting for the cause of death from the Medical Examiner's Office, but sources close to the investigation tell NBC12 the killers used a box cutter-style knife and a hammer to try and kill the family.

smoke discovered in the victims' lungs show they were still breathing when the fire was set, possibly moments before firefighters arrived on the scene.

Police say they've received more than 50 calls to their tip line and an enormous amount of useful information. They hope an additional $5,000 reward will encourage anyone with a tip to come forward.

A hammer. Jesus Christ.

And so Am I.

Introducing the i-meat, has like 80gig of raw memory.

Ace of Spades discusses new media and altered perception of the factual matrix of the political universe:

"I find it more and more difficult to talk to my non-conservative friends about politics. Not because of anger -- we don't fight over such matters -- but simply because I find myself telling them facts that they've never read before, never seen on Brian Williams before, and simply do not believe to be true. "

Richmonders Bryan and Kathryn Harvey, and their two children, Stella and Ruby, murdered in a quiet section of my hometown on New Years Day, deserve remembrance and justice, but also respect and dignity.

I am unsettled and obsessed to a degree I think is normal, given that the crime was not only unspeakably, incomprehensibly cruel and unfair, but close-to-home on several levels - normal, yes, but not necessarily healthy. This crime feels as though it's snapped something inside..like a home-town 9-11...do I have a right to feel that? Do I have a right to say it, here, in this space?

I feel driven to scour for any shred of information, collect, assess, speculate, chat, second-guess,pre-judge...I suspect lots of people feel the same way. Under different circumstances that might make for better blogging; but I think in this case it would be too easy to spin out into "gobmackingly vile" territory. I don't think I'll stop obsessing, but I don't have to do it here.

For today, anyway, I want to point to others who are doing the best job providing local reaction and information about the Harveys and ithe investigation of crime that has stunned our community.

Buttermilk & Molasses has what I think is probably the best round-up of local coverage, links and resources related to the case.

F.T. Rea's personal perspective and observations at Slantblog have evoked bittersweet memories of my youth and the old Richmond scene, and a sense of not only what is lost, but what remains.


Steve Huff, of course, provides the most sensitive and complete commentary and references to the "dark side", or true-crime aspects of the Harvey case.


One quick addition:

A few words from Also Also today were well-written and moving.

F.T. Rea of Slantblog
captures the simplicity and subdued spirit, in words and pictures, of the Harvey memorial ceremony held this evening at the Unitarian Universalist Church near the Carillon.

Fond and poignant memories are shared byAliza Sherman

WWBT evening news
has not updated its website yet, but in evening on-air reporting states police are refuting reports that the throats were cut on all of the victims, instead saying that there were "trauma and cuts."

At this hour they are also reporting a profiler has been called in to evaluate the crime scene.

UPDATE: Link to WWBT story now here.

Of note:

Police confirm all four family members were found bound in their basement. So, they don’t believe this is a murder-suicide.

Police refute earlier reports that all four family members’ throats were slit. Instead, describing the wounds as trauma and cuts.

a State Police profiler is trying to understand who would want to kill this family of four

Check out the Levitating labrador.

Must be one of those Mystery Spots.

Times Dispatch Headline links:

Murder, Grief, and Mystery
Harvey Held in High Regard
Merchants, others grieve in Carytown over loss of Harveys

Last Gig Featured Nothing Unusual

A Tragic Days Events

Samples from the House of Freaks band

Slideshow of Harvey Family (copy and paste link to view: http://media.gatewayva.com/photos/rtd/01032006/harvey/slideshow_content.html)
........
Also see:

The Richmond Democrat
with photos of the exterior of World of Mirth Toy store last night.

Via WVEC, A crime wtih some similarities ocurred in Portsmouth, VA on December 12. The report by Craig Civale, paraprased below:

A Portsmouth man was found tied up in his basement.

Police said it happened around 10:00 a.m. in the 600 block of Phillips Avenue when the man answered a knock at his door.
The suspect had a knife and forced his way into the home. After getting the victim bound, the suspect stole several items from the home.
...One of his relatives, an off-duty Chesapeake police officer, showed up to visit her grandfather. That made the suspect run off, the victim unharmed, police said.

A search for the suspect described as a black man, 30 to 40 years old, 6’ tall, 200 pounds, continues.

My brother doesn't want me to post anything self-serving or disrespectful to the memory of the people he knew, so I'm reluctant to post my own impressions. I guess its alright to say how I feel...

Incredibly anxious. Chilled to the bone, then and now, despite the fact I've jacked up the thermostat and piled on the sweaters. I couldn't sleep for the longest time last night, I just lay there shivering and occasionally shuddering, as restless as the skies outside that cracked with thunder, and beat the windows with sudden gusts of wind. It felt like there were bugs under the covers, crawling and biting me awake.
How? Why? How? Why? bit at my brain relentlessly, and when I closed my eyes useless but terrifying variations of the answers to those questions looped in the internal theater. I want to take that omnicient viewpoint and bend time and space, re-write the story. I speak to the players: "run!" "yell!" "get out of there!" trying to re-run the race between good and evil. And evil is winning, every time.

Via the Richmond Times-Dispatch ( Online link not yet available, will update later. My comments follow the article text.)

Murder, grief and mystery
Police say scene left some people crying

BY JIM NOLAN AND BILL MCKELWAY
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITERS Jan 3, 2006


MEMORIALS
TODAY: Service at First Unitarian Universalist Church near Byrd Park at 5:30 p.m.

TOMORROW: Candlelight vigil at 7 p.m. at West 31st and Chesterfield streets.

RELATED: Police Beat

Police aren't saying whether they are any closer to solving the brutal New Year's Day murders of a popular Richmond family.

They have stopped short of even publicly stating whether the Woodland Heights community remains in danger.

But investigators indicated yesterday that they are narrowing the timeline of how the murders likely occurred. They have interviewed friends and neighbors who visited the home of Bryan and Kathryn Harvey in the hours before they and their two children were found murdered in their West 31st Street basement.

It was after 10 a.m. on New Year's Day when a Woodland Heights neighbor and her daughter arrived at the home.

They were dropping off the Harveys' elder daughter, Stella, who had spent the night in another part of the city with friends from Fox Elementary School.

As they stepped inside, Stella ran ahead and went down to the Harveys' basement family room.

The mother and daughter were met inside the house by Kathryn Harvey, who had just come upstairs.

According to investigators, she looked ashen and appeared nervous.

The woman asked whether Harvey was OK. She replied that she didn't feel well and might be getting sick.

Not wanting to intrude, the mother and her daughter said goodbye and left, not realizing they may have been the last people outside the home to see Kathryn and Stella Harvey alive.
[emphasis mine - SW.]

Less than four hours later, at 1:46 p.m., firefighters responding to a 911 call of a blaze at the home looked in the basement and found the bodies of Bryan Harvey, 49, Kathryn Harvey, 39, and their daughters, Stella, 9, and Ruby, 4. All had been murdered -- bound with tape and their throats cut.

A fire had been set in the basement, producing a heavy smoke that was discovered by Harvey family friend Johnny Hott when he arrived about 1:40 with his daughter to help the Harveys prepare for a 2 p.m. New Year's Day cookout.

The names of the woman and daughter, who could not be reached for comment, are being withheld by The Times-Dispatch.

"She's devastated," said an investigator close to the case.

Her account to police on Sunday has enabled them to narrow down the time of the slayings, but police yesterday were still boiling down dozens of leads in the search for a killer.

Investigators told The Times-Dispatch that the house did not appear to be ransacked and that there did not appear to be anything obvious that was missing from the home.


Homicide investigators yesterday continued their round-the-clock investigation of the quadruple murders, part of a six-homicide Sunday believed to be the deadliest day in Richmond in at least 10 years.

They combed through the two-story brick home on West 31st Street in South Richmond's Woodland Heights neighborhood, removing boxes of items. One of the Virginia State Police investigators called in to assist is trained in profiling killers.

While details of the crime scene have not been publicly discussed by authorities, one detective said yesterday that the condition of the bodies and the wounds "left some of our people crying."

A seasoned veteran of police work, he said the crime scene was the worst he has ever seen.

"You always try and focus on the mission, but there is just no way you can't just stop for a minute and think about how horrible this is," the detective said.

Likewise, across the city, friends, family, classmates and acquaintances of the Harveys and their children tried to process the slayings of a well-known, and loved, family:

Bryan Harvey was a talented Richmond musician who had just played a New Year's Eve gig with his band, NrG Krysys.

Kathryn was a fun-loving and successful Carytown businesswoman and co-owner of the World of Mirth. When she was pregnant with Ruby, she once decorated her belly as a jack-o'-lantern for Halloween.

Stella was a precocious third-grader at Fox Elementary, and Ruby was a preschooler.

"Everyone I know knows the community has lost four wonderful people," said Manny Mendez, 43, a longtime friend of Bryan and Kathy Harvey who owns the popular restaurant Kuba Kuba.

"They were perfect. There was not a bad bone in their body," added Mendez, who was invited to the Harveys' New Year's Day chili party but had other plans.

"How is it that the sweetest people in the world have something heinous happen to them?"

The question was a source of concern, not only for detectives investigating quadruple murders, but also for the Harveys' neighbors and tight-knit group of friends and family.

By noon yesterday, bouquets of flowers began to pile up beside a tree near yellow police tape surrounding the corner house.

In the hours after the bodies were discovered Sunday, chatter on a neighborhood Web site was circumspect and full of warnings about jumping to conclusions. But it was clear, also, that some people are very frightened.

"I am going to try to find comfort in the thought that I have such wonderful neighbors who look out for each other and are going to be [as] concerned and paranoid as I am," one message read

Three families said yesterday that police detectives have told them they need not be alarmed about a continuing threat in the neighborhood.

"One of the detectives came to me and said, 'There's no need to worry,'" said one neighbor, who has a wife and two children.

The resident might not have been totally convinced. Like representatives of two other families, he asked that his name not be used.

Police Chief Rodney Monroe said investigators are following leads but that the case is "too open to start speculating on any particular issue."

Asked about the brutal nature of the crime, Monroe said, "We don't want to read a lot into anything until we get our forensics back."

He said detectives continue to interview family, friends and acquaintances of the Harveys in their search for clues and are still seeking to talk with relatives who live outside the Richmond area.

While detectives work to solve the crime, friends of the Harveys are left to mourn.

"They meant so much," Manny Mendez said, "to so many people."


Contact staff writer Jim Nolan at jnolan@timesdispatch.com or (804) 649-6061.
Contact staff writer Bill McKelway at bmckelway@timesdispatch.com or (804) 649-6601.
Staff writer Michael Martz contributed to this report.

....
New information of note -
1.The fire was set in the basement.

2.In hindsight it appears that the killer well may have been present in the house when Stella arrived...something was wrong with Kathryn. Was the killer in the house when Kathryn greeted her daughter? If the killer was a stranger, how could Kathryn have remained silent and neglected to ask for help; and how could she let her nine-year-old daughter down the stairs?

3. Why did police detectives tell neighbors them they need not be alarmed about a continuing threat in the neighborhood?

Update: This Myrtle Beach Online story adds a disturbing detail not included in the Times-dispatch story.

"The woman (who dropped Stella off) thought she noticed marks on Kathy's wrist," a source told the New York Daily News.

I heard this from a FOF (OFOF), and it was repeated here:

A Poster named "FOH" left this comment at this Velvetrope.com message Board Link:

"Re: R.I.P. Bryan Harvey-House of Freaks and Gutterball new [re: sharona]
01/02/06 02:29 PM
Edit post Edit Reply to this post Reply

My friend in Richmond, who is/was a family friend of the victims, says there is a sister of the wife who is a tweaker [ed. note: A tweaker is a crystal meth user] and has a dangerous tweaker boyfriend. The local music community is expecting that this couple will turn out to be the perps. The house was not ransacked and there was no expectation of there being money or other valuables in their home. The sister and her loser boyfriend had been fighting with Byran and Kathy over money in the past weeks or so."

I can't vouch personally for any element of truth of the above statement, but I am going to ask my brother if he's knows anything about the sister.

Update: No, my brother is not aware of any goings on with K. Harvey's sister or boyfriend, so the rumor above is 100% ...unconfirmed rumor. It's possibly completely bogus, but I have heard the same rumor from two unrelated sources.

Update 2: Another poster (Dnamom) at the same message board (Velvetrope.com)

She expresses doubt about the sister being involved:

" I read a bio on Steven Culp today, an actor ("Desperate Housewives) who was Kathryn's stepbrother.[ed. note: he was Kathryn's half-brother] There were several quotes in his bio by Kathryn's only sister and she "seemed" very normal. "

She also points to a murder with similarities that was committed recently in Culpeper, Virginia. From the Fredericksburg Free-Lance Star:

Sheryl Ann Embrey Warner, a former band singer, was shot in the head, hanged by the neck with an electrical cord and her body left to be consumed in a house fire, according to documents filed in court in Culpeper.

Search warrant documents filed in Culpeper County Circuit Court revealed that the 37-year-old mother of three had been shot.


Update 3: The sister's name is Shelly Link, nee Grabinsky, and she was employed as a physical education teacher by Shelton Park Elementary School in Virginia Beach (Va.Beach City Public Schools) at least as late as September, 2004.

note: Richmonders are anguished and in shock over the brutal, unsolved New Year's Day murders of Bryan and Kathryn Harvey, and their two young daughters, Stella and Ruby (ages 9 and 4).


Dawn Patrol In Memoriam: Bryan Harvey "I remember chatting with Bryan, mostly about our shared love of obscure Sixties pop music, when Gutterball played the Mercury Lounge on the Lower East Side, circa 1994. He had a natural sweetness about him, as well as integrity."

F.T. Rea at Slantblog
has comments, including his recollections of the Harveys, and pictures, including a recent photo of Kathryn.

Buttermilk and Molasses has
THOUGHTS, ONE DAY IN "...Nikole and I went by World of Mirth this afternoon. The store, obviously, was closed. A steady rain was falling, and the sky was a heavy grey. We added our flowers to a growing carpet, and stood quietly for a few moments."

Readers comment atLivejournal community: Really Sad News

Janet Giampietro of Richmond Magazine "And Another thing" struggles with The Incomprehensible.

Numerous comments from Richmonders, including people who know the Harveys, at true-crime blog The Dark Side: The Burning of a House in Richmond...(The Harvey Family Murders) "What could bring about such an end on a Sunday, on the first day of a New Year? As always... why the children, as well?"

Life of Leemur Remembers her Friend Kathy "Kathy was one of those really sweet good people that you don't meet often enough."

No Prizes is Sad Coming Home From Carytown "More than a dozen bouquets of flowers along with another dozen assorted candles were spread along the wet sidewalk."

note: Richmonders are anguished and in shock over the brutal, unsolved New Year's Day murders of Bryan and Kathryn Harvey, and their two young daughters, Stella and Ruby (ages 9 and 4). See articles "Slayings of well-known couple and their 2 young daughters stirs disbelief",
"Family's slayings shock Woodland Heights
Harveys were 'as decent and stable a family as you can imagine,' neighbor says"


Richmond.com regularly interviews Richmond notable, and I was gratified to find their 2003 "20 questions" interview of Kathryn Harvey, reprinted below.

20 Questions
Kathryn Harvey
Richmond.comMonday, April 14, 2003


John Denniston/Richmond.com



What was the name of your first pet?
Muffin, a French poodle.

Have any pets now?
We have a cat named Tiger Lily.

What's your favorite thing to do when you're not working
Be with my children. There's really nothing I'd rather do.

How would your mom describe you?
Probably as "driven and very determined"

Have any favorite clothing?
Good, comfortable shoes.

Where's your favorite place to eat?
Mama Zu's, without a doubt. I've never been disappointed there.
What's a magazine you read religiously?
I love those British and French home magazines. I get a lot of inspiration from them.

Best book you've read lately?
"Cold Mountain." It took me a while to get into it, but it was phenomenal.

What's a promise you've made to yourself?
Oh, there are lots of promises, I guess (laughs). One would be not to take myself so seriously. Another would be to try to cook dinner more often.

What's your favorite vacation spot?
The best place I've ever been is Italy. But my expectations have been slightly lowered as I get older -- a week at the beach would be good.

What are three of your favorite movies?
"To Kill a Mockingbird," "It's a Wonderful Life," and "Waiting for Guffman."

What's your worst vice or guilty pleasure?:
Red wine.

What is your motto?
Recently it's been to be thankful for what I have. To remember to smell the roses.

What is your favorite gift to give?
That one's hard for me. There are so many things. There's something called "Scary Stories" that are made by a New York artist. They're like stuffed animals gone wrong. They're really great, really creative.

Where's your favorite place to shop?
Little out-of-the-way flea markets are my absolute favorites, and there's a great store in Doswell called Squashapenny. She has all antiques, but they're usually store fixtures and folk art pieces.

What do you wish you could change about your appearance?
Well, I hoped that having some babies would give me some hips . . . (laughs).

How would you describe your dance moves?
Awkward, but my husband has said otherwise.

What are three things you couldn't do without?
My husband, my quiet screened-in back porch, and Lane, my manager at World of Mirth.

Favorite Shoes?
(Laughs) Well, my favorite pair of shoes would be really silly for most people, but they were a pair of orthopedic boots I bought from Shields Shoes a long time ago. I wore those things for like 15 years, and finally I thought I had to get a grip on my clothing so I gave them up. And I'd give anything to have a pair of them again. I loved those shoes.

What's your favorite spot in Richmond?
I'd have to say some place down by the river. I've been knocked out by how every time we walk down there, it changes. The river is different every time. And it's beautiful.


Kathryn grew up in Virginia Beach and came to Richmond to attend VCU, receiving a bachelor of fine arts degree in painting and printmaking. She opened the first World of Mirth, "a toy store for everyone, with toys for all ages," more than 10 years ago above Exile on Grace Street. The store moved to 3005 W. Cary St. 3½ years ago. Her husband, Bryan, one of the founders of the band House of Freaks, is a computer technician for Henrico County Public Schools but continues his guitar playing in NrG Krysys. They have two daughters, 6 years and 21 months, and live in Woodland Heights, where "the air is always fresh because of the river."

Horrible, horrible.

Four members of a South Richmond family were found murdered in their burning Woodland Heights home Sunday. Police have identified the dead as Bryan and Kathryn Harvey and their two daughters Stella, 9, and Ruby, 4.


Kathryn and Bryan Harvey
1996, TIMES-DISPATCH

Friends called the fire department when they arrived at the home to attend a scheduled 2pm New Year’s Day chili party. They found smoke coming from the home in the eight-hundred block of West 31st Street.

Firemen discovered the four bodies. Their throats had been cut.

People who knew the victims say were a close-knit family. Often times, neighbors say, they would see the family playing in the front yard.

Brian Harvey was employed by the Henrico school system and played with the band ‘NrG Krysys.’ His wife Kathryn was a co-owner of the Carytown gift shop ‘World of Mirth.’ Daughter Stella attended Fox Elementary School.

Police say they are investigating the deaths as a case of homicide and arson.

My brother knows these people; I didn't, but I knew of them. My kid and I just loved her toy store., World of Mirth. Though I was never much into the cool Richmond band scene, I danced to one of his bands, the Dad's, in the mid-80's. From all accounts talented, energetic, much-loved folks who were really contributing members of the Richmond community.


They lived in a quiet and generally crime-free area of South Richmond, called Woodland Heights, in an attractive brick corner house off of 31st st. The last murder I can think of that took place there was in 1987, when serial killer Timothy Spencer skulked over from a half-way house about a mile away on Porter st, and attacked and killed Dr. Susan Hellams.

I have no idea if that halfway house is even still there. However, another double killing (possible murder-suicide) that same afternoon involving a man recently released from jail makes me wonder if it is. Update: If the halfway house operation still exists, it moved. Both houses at it's former adress of 1500-02 Porter Street, are available for rental.

Second Update: Via the Richmond Times Dispatch, The halfway house was forced to close and was sold in 1988. I have no knowlege of any similar program, or house in the area.

The family was murdered sometime between 10:00am and 1:40pm New Year's Day...
Bryan Harvey and his band had played at a local hotel New Year's Eve and returned home at 2 a.m., friends and family said. His 9-year-old daughter Stella spent the night at a friend's house and returned home at 10 a.m. Sunday, where she was greeted at the door by her mother, friends and neighbors said.

A friend arrived with his daughter around 1:40 to help set up for the planned afternoon chili-fest...he let himself in the open front door and was immediately engulfed in a this haze of smoke. He called out, no one answered, and his immediate idea was that the family had gone out for a stroll and left something on the stove, which ke quickly checked...but there was nothing on the stove, no party preparations in sight.

He got a neighbor to call 911: firefighters arrived and within minutes made the gruesome discovery of the bound bodies in the basement. According to reports in the Times Dispatch, there was no extensive fire damage in the room.

Friends kept arriving for chili, to find instead a murder scene.

The other double killing I mentioned took place in Bellmeade, It's really not very far away from the murder of the family; 4 miles tops...and maybe 2 and half miles from the address of Timothy Spencer's halfway house.

The two dead, were a father and daughter, the father had recently been released from jail. They were found 7pm in a corner house in the 2400 block of Terminal Ave, a block east of Jefferson Davis Highway. He was shot in the head and she was shot in the chest. The bodies were found by the mother of the woman ( she was also the estranged wife of the male) who hadn't heard from here daughter since Friday, and was worried enough to go check on her.