In December of 2013, the quiet community of Selma, Virginia, was shaken by the discovery of 71-year-old Joe Ray Rumfelt's body in his home. A concerned relative, unable to reach him, asked a neighbor to check on him, leading to the grim finding in the living room of his Donovan Street residence on December 3rd. An autopsy would later reveal a brutal end to the life of the United States Army veteran and retired supervisor for Dominion Virginia Power; he had died from a combination of gunshot
wounds and blunt force trauma to the head.
The investigation into the death of the man, described as a loving family man who enjoyed woodworking, quickly pointed to a robbery gone horribly wrong. Investigators learned that two young men, 22-year-old Casey Shane Gillispie and 21-year-old Dustin Thomas McClear, had recently sold some antiques to Rumfelt and had noticed he kept a significant amount of cash in his home. Their initial plan to rob a local Pizza Hut was abandoned when they deemed it too busy. Instead, they turned their attention to the elderly man they had recently done business with, plotting to go to his house under the guise of selling him a BB-gun, strike him in the head, and take his money.
Their deadly plan was set into motion, but the encounter escalated far beyond their initial intentions. Once inside, Gillispie reportedly brandished a. 22-caliber revolver and demanded money. When Rumfelt resisted and chased Gillispie into the living room, he was shot. In a chilling turn of events, McClear later admitted to shooting Rumfelt multiple times. Believing him to still be alive, Gillispie then horrifically struck him in the head with a dumbbell. The pair fled the scene with stolen guns, later attempting to cover their tracks by disposing of the murder weapons. The dumbbell was thrown into the Jackson River and the handgun was buried, though both were later recovered by law enforcement based on information provided by the suspects.
Justice for Joe Ray Rumfelt came through the diligent work of the Alleghany County Sheriff's Office, leading to the swift arrests of McClear on December 7th and Gillispie on December 9th. Both were charged in connection with the murder and held without bond. In the face of overwhelming evidence and the possibility of the death penalty, Dustin Thomas McClear pleaded guilty to capital murder and robbery. He received two life sentences, one without the possibility of parole. The charges against Casey Shane Gillispie were certified to an Alleghany County Circuit Court grand jury, ensuring both men would be held accountable for the senseless and brutal end they brought to the life of Joe Ray Rumfelt.
