In the quiet community of Draper, Virginia, the lives of two young men were tragically cut short in early December 2017. Raymond Lewis Rodriguez, a 24-year-old male, and 17-year-old Aidan Dawson were found deceased on December 5, 2017, in what would unfold as a grim double homicide case that shook Wythe County. The discovery of their bodies behind an outbuilding on Reed Creek Drive followed a tip to the Wythe County Sheriff's Office, which was investigating Dawson's disappearance a few days
prior.
The subsequent investigation swiftly led to the apprehension of three local teenagers. Eighteen-year-old Dylan McGlothlin of Max Meadows, 18-year-old Hunter Armbrister, also from Max Meadows, and 19-year-old Jared Stephens of Austinville were taken into custody. The initial charges varied, with McGlothlin facing the severe charge of capital murder. Armbrister and Stephens were initially charged with being accessories after the fact to capital murder, with Armbrister also facing charges related to the disposal of a body.
As the legal process moved forward, the gravity of the charges against Armbrister and Stephens escalated. In April 2018, a Wythe County grand jury handed down new indictments, charging both Armbrister and Stephens with two counts of murder, two counts of using a firearm in the commission of a felony, and one count of distributing drugs. This development indicated a deeper alleged involvement in the murders than the initial accessory charges suggested. The motive for the killings was believed by the sheriff to be drug-related.
The resolution of the cases against the three young men brought a measure of justice for the families of Raymond Rodriguez and Aidan Dawson. Dylan McGlothlin, faced with the possibility of the death penalty, entered a guilty plea to two counts of first-degree murder, among other charges. In January 2020, he was sentenced to two life sentences plus an additional 16 years in prison. The outcomes for Hunter Armbrister and Jared Stephens also concluded with significant prison time, though the specific details of their final pleas and sentencing are less publicly documented. The tragic case left a lasting scar on the community, a stark reminder of the devastating impact of violence.
