In the spring of 1966, a shadow fell over the city of Richmond, Virginia, as a series of brutal and seemingly random killings stoked fear throughout the community. One of the victims in this terrifying spree was Malcolm Norment, a 41-year-old white male. His life was violently cut short on May 21, 1966, a day that would become linked to a chapter of violence that shocked the nation.
Norment's body, along with that of another victim, 20-year-old Addison Wilkins, was discovered discarded
in the 3600 block of East Richmond Road, near Oakwood Cemetery. Norment had been shot seven times. The discovery sent ripples of fear through the city, as his death was part of a string of murders with no apparent pattern, targeting men and women, both Black and white, of varying ages.
The perpetrators were later identified as brothers, 25-year-old William Penn and 18-year-old Thomas Lee Penn. Their reign of terror, which lasted for six weeks between April and May of 1966, claimed the lives of six people. The breakthrough in the case came from the courageous survival of a seventh victim, a 14-year-old girl who had been assaulted, shot twice, and left for dead. She was able to identify Thomas Lee Penn as her attacker and recounted a chilling boast he made about killing two white men on May 21st, a direct reference to the murders of Norment and Wilkins.
Following this crucial testimony, both William and Thomas Penn were arrested in May 1966, bringing an end to the city's nightmare. In his confession, Thomas Lee Penn detailed the cold-blooded nature of the killings. He stated that he had offered Malcolm Norment a ride to the bus station, but instead drove him to the same secluded area near the cemetery where he had just murdered Addison Wilkins. There, he forced Norment out of the car and shot him.
The trials that followed saw both brothers convicted for their roles in the murder spree. Thomas Lee Penn, who had a history of mental health issues and had been diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic, received two life sentences. William Penn was sentenced to 26 years for his participation in one of the other murders. The case of Malcolm Norment's death, as part of the Penn brothers' shocking crime spree, remains a dark and notorious part of Richmond's history.
