On the morning of May 13, 2020, 63-year-old Pamela Susan Morse was found deceased in her Martinsville, Virginia, home by her husband, David Lee Morse, upon his return from a night shift. The cause of death was determined to be two gunshot wounds to the head. An investigation into her death quickly revealed a sinister plot orchestrated by her husband and three other individuals.
David Lee Morse, a retired Henry County sheriff's investigator, was having an extramarital affair with Tanna
Shelton Fitzgerald. Together, they conspired to murder Pamela. The investigation uncovered that before the fatal shooting, David Morse and Fitzgerald had attempted to kill Pamela with an overdose of heroin. When that failed, a new plan was put into motion. In the days leading up to the murder, David Morse unplugged the security cameras at their home.
On the night of the murder, while David Morse was at work, Tanna Fitzgerald, along with Casey Lynn Rogers and her boyfriend, Collin Joshua Russell, went to the Morse residence. After the shooting, the trio stole a 2010 Jeep Compass, several firearms, and other items from the home. The stolen vehicle was later found abandoned and partially spray-painted in Franklin County. Inside the Jeep, authorities discovered the stolen firearms and other items belonging to the Morse family.
All four individuals were arrested and faced charges including first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder. Before her trial could commence, Tanna Shelton Fitzgerald died in the Henry County Jail from an overdose of medication, which was ruled a suicide. David Lee Morse was convicted of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and was sentenced to serve 30 years in prison. Collin Joshua Russell pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and other related charges and was sentenced to 55 years of active prison time. Casey Lynn Rogers was found guilty of first-degree murder, among other charges, and received a sentence of 60 years in prison.
