On a Tuesday in the quiet town of Rainelle, West Virginia, 52-year-old Lorne Matthew Atkins was found deceased in his home on February 7, 2023. The discovery prompted an investigation by the West Virginia State Police, who soon suspected foul play. Atkins was located in an upstairs bedroom with severe head injuries that were believed to have been caused by blunt force trauma.
The subsequent investigation led authorities to a suspect, 46-year-old Lajuana Agripina Lopez.
During the course of their work, members of the State Police Crime Scene Unit discovered a claw-type hammer near the room where Atkins' body was found. The hammer appeared to have blood on it. After being read her Miranda rights, Lopez voluntarily gave a statement to the police.
In her statement to investigators on February 21, 2023, Lopez confessed to striking Atkins with a hammer one or more times, which resulted in his death. Following her confession, Lajuana Agripina Lopez was arrested and charged with murder. She was then booked into the Southern Regional Jail and held without bond.
