Portsmouth, Virginia.According to investigators, a 53-year-old man from Virginia planned to have his 97-year-old grandmother assassinated in a murder-for-hire scheme. The mastermind committed suicide earlier this year, and the accused hitman was indicted last week.
A complaint of an older woman who was not responding prompted officers to respond to a residence on Blue Ridge Turnpike on April 25. At the scene, the victim—later identified as Catherine Graff—was declared dead. The Botetourt County Sheriff’s Office opened an investigation after the Medical Examiner’s Office in Roanoke declared her death to be a homicide following an autopsy.
Investigators discovered evidence that connected Graff’s grandson, James W. Hopper of Fincastle, to the murder, claiming he employed Salem resident Steven R. Fowler, 30, to commit the murder. As the inquiry went on, Hopper, who was named as the plot’s mastermind, committed suicide on May 2, according to authorities.
Fowler was officially charged with aggravated murder for hire on December 3 and has been detained since April 26. He is still being held at the Botetourt-Craig Regional Jail without bond.
In a statement, Sheriff Matthew Ward said, “I want to thank our detectives for their unwavering efforts in finding the truth behind this tragic case.” Justice and we both never take a day off.
With Fowler now on trial for his alleged involvement in Graff’s death, the indictment has opened a new chapter in the inquiry.
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