In the quiet community of Ironto, Virginia, a grim discovery was made on October 3, 1978. The husband of Ida Mae Moses returned to their home in Montgomery County to find his wife's nude body lying on a bed. She had been shot three times in the head. The scene was immediately reported to the authorities, who launched an investigation into her death.
Investigators at the scene collected various pieces of evidence, including hair samples, carpet fibers, and fingerprints.
They determined that a bag of pennies and a. 22 caliber 'snub-nosed' revolver were missing from the home. An autopsy later revealed that Ida Moses had been shot twice in the face and once in the back of the head, with any of the wounds being fatal. The examination also found the presence of seminal fluid, indicating a sexual assault. Further investigation revealed that she was pregnant at the time of her murder.
The investigation led police to apprehend Buddy Earl Justus on October 10, 1978. After being read his Miranda rights, Justus confessed to burglarizing the Moses residence and fatally shooting Ida Moses. However, he denied raping her. Upon his arrest, officers recovered a. 22 caliber 'snub-nosed' revolver from him. Ballistics testing later confirmed that a slug removed from the victim had been fired from the weapon found in Justus's possession.
During the legal proceedings, a man named Dale Dean Goins testified that he had been hitchhiking in Georgia the day after the murder when Justus gave him a ride. Goins stated that during their time together, Justus admitted to raping and killing a woman in Virginia and showed him a bag of pennies he had taken. Justus was initially convicted of capital murder and sentenced to death. This conviction was later overturned on appeal due to an error in jury selection. Following a change of venue to the Circuit Court of James City County and the City of Williamsburg, a new trial was held. A jury once again found Buddy Earl Justus guilty of capital murder and recommended the death sentence, which the court upheld.
