In the city of Roanoke, a man known to his friends as Lee, Carl Leonard Stroop, lived a life described as sparse and simple. At the age of 42, he was a large man with a bushy beard that gave him an appearance reminiscent of Grizzly Adams. His life, along with the lives of his close friends, was hardened by alcohol but also mended through their strong bonds of friendship.
These were not people who caused trouble; they were a tight-knit group who supported one another through difficult times.
The new year began with a tragic and violent end for Stroop and four of his companions. While celebrating in an Old Southwest Roanoke apartment, a gathering that should have been filled with hope for the year to come turned into a scene of carnage. In the early hours of January 1st, Stroop, along with his friends Susan Hutchinson, Cynthia LaPrade, Daniel Mason, and Dale Arnold, were all fatally shot. The group was partying in the carriage house apartment belonging to Hutchinson and Arnold when they reportedly invited a neighbor, Robert May, to join them.
It is believed that an argument erupted, leading to the deadly shooting. May, who was 27 years old at the time, became the primary suspect in the quintuple homicide. Friends and family of the victims stated that they were not regular socializers with May and had only just heard of him on the day of the killings. The invitation to their party was characteristic of their inclusive and friendly nature. In the aftermath of the tragedy, Carl Leonard Stroop's body remained at the morgue for eleven days, unclaimed by his family in Ohio. He was eventually laid to rest in a pauper's grave in the city cemetery, his burial site marked only by a small metal plaque with the number 1224.
