In the quiet community of Ironto, Virginia, a horrific crime unfolded on October 3, 1978, forever shattering the peace of the small town. Ida Mae Moses, a 21-year-old nurse, was discovered brutally murdered in her home. At eight and a half months pregnant, she was just weeks away from welcoming her baby boy, whom she had already named. Her husband made the gruesome discovery, finding his wife's nude body in their bedroom; she had been shot three times in the head.
The investigation into
the heinous crime revealed a chilling sequence of events. Ida Mae had been raped and then murdered with her own. 22 caliber pistol, which was stolen from the residence along with a bag of pennies. The perpetrator was identified as Buddy Earl Justus, a drifter with a troubled past. After fleeing the scene, Justus continued his violent spree, committing two more murders in Georgia and Florida.
Authorities in Virginia, acting on a description of Justus's car, staked out an orphanage in Grundy where he had once lived and where two of his siblings still resided. Their vigilance paid off when Justus arrived to visit and was promptly arrested. Upon his apprehension, Justus confessed to robbing and murdering Ida Mae Moses, though he denied the rape. A key piece of evidence against him was the murder weapon, the. 22 caliber revolver taken from the Moses' home, which was found in his possession.
Buddy Earl Justus was tried and convicted for the capital murder of Ida Mae Moses. Despite an initial conviction being overturned due to a flaw in the jury selection process, a new jury once again found him guilty and sentenced him to death. After years of appeals, Justus was executed in Virginia's electric chair on December 13, 1990. Before his execution, he expressed remorse for his actions and acknowledged the pain he had caused to the families of his victims.
