Ashley Marie Spencer Roberts, a 39-year-old White woman, and her husband, William Jason Roberts, 41, were residents of Roanoke, Virginia. Their lives were cut short in a violent encounter on the evening of June 25, 2024, in the community of Axton, leaving their loved ones to face a sudden and devastating loss.
At approximately 9:30 p.m. that Tuesday, the Pittsylvania County 911 center received a call about a shooting. Deputies responded to a home in the 400 block of River Ridge Road, where they made a tragic discovery. Outside the residence, they found Ashley and William unresponsive. Both had what appeared to be gunshot wounds and were pronounced dead at the scene.
Authorities at the scene quickly identified a suspect, who was taken into custody without incident. The man was identified as 65-year-old William Lester Roberts, a resident of Axton.
According to the Pittsylvania County Sheriff's Office, he was the father of William Jason Roberts and the father-in-law of Ashley.
Following his arrest, William Lester Roberts was charged with two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. He also faced an additional charge of discharging firearms within a dwelling. He was held without bond in the Pittsylvania County Jail. The bodies of Ashley and her husband were transported to the Medical Examiner's Office for an autopsy. As of late June 2024, the case remained under active investigation as the legal process against the accused began.
