Timothy Dale “Tim” McDaniels, a 61-year-old White/Caucasian man, was found dead with his wife, Shawn Marie Cruikshank McDaniels, at their home outside Marlinton, West Virginia, on November 27, 2015. Relatives had become concerned because they had not heard from the couple for several days, prompting a welfare check at their Crow Hill Lane residence. At approximately 3 p.m., West Virginia State Police Trooper D. M. Brock and a Pocahontas County deputy entered the property and discovered Tim and Shawn deceased. Investigators determined that both had been shot with a firearm, turning what began as a welfare check into a double-homicide investigation.
The killing carried particular weight in the local law-enforcement community because Tim was a medically retired West Virginia State Trooper. He had served from 1978 until 1991 and had been wounded on January 26, 1991, while responding to a domestic investigation.
The injury ultimately contributed to his medical retirement, and he received the Purple Heart for being wounded in the line of duty. After leaving active service, he remained in the Marlinton area and maintained ties with the state-police community. Tim and Shawn had been married since January 1994 and were remembered by family as a couple who enjoyed traveling, playing Scrabble and joking with relatives and friends.
Investigators quickly noticed that Tim's black Honda Pilot was missing from the residence. Information gathered during the first hours of the investigation focused attention on Tim's grandson, Aaron Joseph Bussard, who was also Shawn's step-grandson. Authorities initially obtained a grand-larceny warrant accusing Bussard of taking the Honda and identified him as a person of interest in the killings. The search expanded across Pocahontas County, with officers checking areas from Hillsboro to Snowshoe. When authorities received information that firearms and medication were also missing from Bussard's father's home, roadblocks were established on several highways and officers searched rural routes through the night. Police warned that Bussard should be considered armed and dangerous.
The search crossed into Virginia the following morning. On November 28, two citizens reportedly spotted Bussard at a gas station near Covington, and law enforcement intercepted the Honda as he traveled through the area near Clifton Forge. Bussard was armed with three firearms and refused to leave the vehicle, beginning a standoff that lasted roughly two and a half hours. Authorities reported that he threatened to take his own life during the confrontation. Officers eventually persuaded him to throw the firearms out of the vehicle, after which a stun gun was used to subdue him and take him into custody. He was initially held in Virginia as a fugitive before waiving extradition and being returned to West Virginia.
After his return to Pocahontas County, Bussard was arraigned on two counts of first-degree murder and one count of grand larceny. A magistrate set bond at $100,000 on the vehicle-theft charge, while the murder charges required consideration by a circuit judge because of their potential life sentences. The investigation continued well beyond the initial murder allegations. An April 2016 grand jury ultimately indicted Bussard on two counts of first-degree murder, one count of grand larceny, two counts of concealment of a deceased body, two counts of fraudulent use of credit cards and one count of fraudulent schemes. As the case moved toward trial, prosecutors and defense attorneys dealt with DNA testing, fingerprint evidence, Bussard's statements to investigators, search-warrant issues and evidence connected with the stolen vehicle.
The case was ultimately resolved without a jury trial. On July 17, 2017, Bussard entered a negotiated plea in Pocahontas County Circuit Court before Judge Jennifer P. Dent. He pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, a lesser offense under the charge involving Tim, and voluntary manslaughter, a lesser offense involving Shawn. The court formally adjudged Bussard guilty of Tim's second-degree murder and Shawn's voluntary manslaughter. Prosecutors requested the maximum punishment permitted under the agreement, while the defense waived preparation of a presentence investigation and asked that sentencing occur immediately.
Judge Dent sentenced Bussard to 40 years in prison for Tim's murder and an additional 15 years for Shawn's death. The sentences were ordered to run consecutively, producing a total effective sentence of 55 years, with Bussard receiving 596 days of credit for time already served. Under the plea agreement, prosecutors requested dismissal of the remaining charges, including the original first-degree-murder counts and the allegations involving grand larceny, concealment of the bodies, fraudulent credit-card use and fraudulent schemes. The available reporting does not clearly establish a specific motive for the shootings, but the investigation tied Bussard not only to the deaths but also to the disappearance of the couple's vehicle and other alleged financial and concealment-related conduct in the aftermath. His guilty plea and consecutive prison sentences brought the criminal prosecution for the deaths of Tim and Shawn McDaniels to a close nearly two years after their bodies were discovered.
