In a quiet home on White Street Court in Fredericksburg, Virginia, the life of 65-year-old Carol Anne Reese came to a tragic and violent end. On the evening of June 4, 2024, law enforcement officers conducted a welfare check at the residence, a routine call that would soon escalate into a grim discovery. Inside, they found Ms. Reese, along with her two other roommates, 77-year-old Robert John McGuire and 60-year-old Gregory Scott Powell, deceased.
All three victims had suffered from what authorities described as upper body trauma.
The investigation quickly zeroed in on their 23-year-old roommate, Alyssa Jane Venable. In the wake of the discovery, Venable had fled the state, prompting a multi-state manhunt. She was considered armed and dangerous, and authorities released her description and vehicle information to the public. Concerns for Venable's own mental well-being were also raised by her grandmother, who feared she might be a danger to herself.
Two days later, the search for Venable came to a dramatic conclusion in Steuben County, New York. State Police spotted her vehicle, a 2009 Honda Civic, on Interstate 86 and attempted a traffic stop. Venable refused to pull over, initiating a high-speed pursuit that reached speeds of up to 100 mph. The chase ended after troopers successfully deployed a tire deflation device, causing her vehicle to crash. Venable was taken into custody without further incident and was subsequently extradited back to Virginia to face justice.
Alyssa Venable was charged with three counts of second-degree murder and the use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. In February 2025, she pleaded guilty to the killings of her three roommates. Subsequently, a Spotsylvania Circuit Court judge sentenced Venable to 99 years in a state penitentiary for the murders, with an additional 14 years for the firearms charge, ensuring she will spend the vast majority of her life behind bars for the brutal act that cut short the lives of Carol Anne Reese and her two companions.
