In the quiet town of Farmville, Virginia, a grim discovery was made on September 18, 2009, that would unravel a tragic story of violence. Inside a home on First Avenue, authorities found the bodies of 53-year-old Debra Sue Kelley, her 50-year-old husband Mark Alan Niederbrock, their 16-year-old daughter Emma Niederbrock, and Emma's friend, 18-year-old Melanie Wells. Debra Kelley was an associate professor of sociology and criminology at Longwood University. The victims had been bludgeoned to death.
The investigation soon focused on Richard Alden Samuel McCroskey III, a 20-year-old aspiring rapper from California. McCroskey had developed an online relationship with Emma Niederbrock and had traveled to Virginia to meet her. Just days before the murders, Debra Kelley and Mark Niederbrock had taken their daughter and her friends, including McCroskey and Wells, to a music festival in Michigan. It was during this trip that tensions reportedly arose in McCroskey's relationship with Emma.
The killings took place at Debra Kelley's home, where she lived with her daughter. According to the prosecutor, McCroskey's anger over his deteriorating relationship with Emma led to the horrific events. He first attacked Melanie Wells, who was sleeping on a sofa, before killing Debra Kelley in an upstairs room and finally Emma in her downstairs bedroom. Mark Niederbrock was the last to be killed when he arrived at the house. The weapon used in the brutal attacks was a maul.
Following the murders, McCroskey fled in Mark Niederbrock's car. He was arrested the next day at the Richmond International Airport, where he was found sleeping in the baggage claim area while waiting for a flight back to California. McCroskey was charged with multiple counts of capital murder. In September 2010, to avoid the death penalty, he pleaded guilty to the murders and received multiple life sentences.
