In the quiet community of Manassas, Virginia, a dispute between a landlord and her tenant escalated into a tragedy that claimed the life of 63-year-old Joyce Francine Gould. A sister, mother, and grandmother, Gould was found lifeless on the kitchen floor of her home on Minor Hill Road on the afternoon of Sunday, May 21, 2023. The grim discovery was made by another tenant who immediately alerted the authorities.
Upon their arrival, Prince William County Police officers found that Gould
had been shot. Fire and rescue personnel pronounced her dead at the scene. The investigation quickly pointed to an altercation between Gould and one of her tenants, 61-year-old Roger Allen Foote, Jr. It is believed that during this argument, Foote fatally shot his landlord.
The search for the suspect concluded the following morning. At approximately 6:30 a.m. on Monday, May 22, Roger Allen Foote, Jr. was located and arrested without incident by the Fairfax County police. He was subsequently charged with murder and the use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. Foote was held without bond pending a court date. Police have stated that the incident was isolated to the residence and that there was no further threat to the community.
Family members, still reeling from the sudden and violent loss, remembered Joyce Gould as a woman who was deeply adored by her grandson. Her brother expressed the profound pain of a death that he described as '100 percent preventable.' In the wake of her death, the family set up a GoFundMe campaign to help with funeral expenses and to support her daughter.
