On a tragic summer evening in Virginia Beach, Virginia, the life of 32-year-old Wendel G. Parrish Jr. was cut short in a brutal act of violence. On June 30, 1994, Parrish, a cook at the Witchduck Inn, was one of four people fatally shot during an armed robbery at the establishment. The other victims were the bar's owner, Lamvan Son, a waitress, Karen Sue Rounds, and a patron, Abdelaziz Gren.
The horrific discovery was made by a regular patron who arrived at the Witchduck Inn around
midnight. Finding the front door locked, he entered through an unlocked back door and was met with a scene of unimaginable horror. The subsequent police investigation quickly pointed to a former employee and her boyfriend.
Within a day, investigators arrested Michael David Clagett, 33, and his girlfriend, Denise Rayne Holsinger, 29. The motive for the quadruple homicide was determined to be revenge. Holsinger had recently been fired from her job as a waitress at the Witchduck Inn, and she and Clagett planned the robbery in retaliation. During the course of the robbery, Clagett shot and killed the four victims. In a televised interview from jail, Clagett confessed to the killings.
Both Clagett and Holsinger faced multiple charges, including four counts of capital murder and robbery. Following their trials, Denise Holsinger was sentenced to life in prison. Michael Clagett received the death penalty for his role as the gunman in the massacre and was executed on July 6, 2000.
