Richard Mccroskey

Mass Murderer

Richard McCroskey and the 2009 Farmville Murders

Overview of the Case

Richard Alden Samuel McCroskey III was responsible for the murders of four people inside a residence at 505 First Avenue in Farmville, Virginia, in September 2009. The victims were 16-year-old Emma Niederbrock, her parents, Debra Kelley and Mark Niederbrock, and Emma's 18-year-old friend, Melanie Wells. The killings became widely known as the Farmville murders. McCroskey, who was 20 years old at the time, had traveled from Castro Valley, California, to Virginia to visit Emma. The two had met through the internet and communicated through social-networking websites and their shared interest in horrorcore music, a form of rap that frequently uses fictional themes involving violence, death and horror. McCroskey performed under the name "Syko Sam." Although his music and online persona later attracted considerable public attention, prosecutors presented the murders primarily as the result of his anger and emotional distress over his deteriorating relationship with Emma.

McCroskey's Relationship with Emma Niederbrock

McCroskey and Emma developed an online relationship before meeting in person. In September 2009, he traveled across the country to stay with Emma and her mother at their home in Farmville. Melanie Wells, one of Emma's friends from West Virginia, was also visiting the residence. During McCroskey's visit, the group traveled to Michigan for the Strictly for the Wicked Festival, a horrorcore music event. Debra Kelley and Mark Niederbrock accompanied the teenagers on the trip. According to the prosecution's later account, McCroskey became increasingly upset during and after the journey because he believed he and Emma were in an exclusive romantic relationship. He reportedly became angry about messages Emma exchanged with another person and concluded that she did not feel as strongly about him as he felt about her. After the group returned to Farmville, McCroskey remained at the First Avenue residence. Prosecutors said his resentment continued to build until he decided to attack the people inside the home.

The First Three Murders

According to the account presented when McCroskey entered his guilty pleas, he attacked Melanie Wells, Debra Kelley and Emma Niederbrock during the early morning hours of September 14, 2009. The three victims were asleep or otherwise defenseless when the attacks began. McCroskey first attacked Melanie, who was sleeping on a sofa in a first-floor den. He repeatedly struck her with a splitting maul, a heavy tool resembling an axe that is normally used to split wood. He then went upstairs and killed Debra Kelley. Emma was killed in her downstairs bedroom. Each victim suffered severe blunt-force injuries to the head. Investigators reported that the victims had no significant defensive wounds, indicating that they were likely taken by surprise and were unable to mount an effective resistance. The attacks occurred within a relatively short period, but McCroskey remained in the residence with the bodies for several days. ...

Confirmed Victims: (4)

Mark Niederbrock 50 yr old Male

Farmville murders