Virginia Rearden McGinnis: A Life of Deception and Murder
Early Life and Background
Virginia Agnes Hoffman was born in January 1937 in Ithaca, New York. Raised in a modest household, her early life was marked by instability and challenges. Details about her upbringing are limited, but her later actions suggest a propensity for manipulation and criminal behavior.
Suspicious Deaths and Crimes
Throughout her life, Virginia was implicated in several suspicious incidents, primarily targeting close family members and acquaintances. Her modus operandi often involved securing life insurance policies on her victims, followed by their untimely and questionable deaths.
Notable Incidents
- December 6, 1972: Virginia's 3-year-old daughter, Cynthia Elaine Coates, was found hanging in a barn in Louisville, Kentucky. The death was deemed accidental, and Virginia collected the life insurance payout.
- September 8, 1974: Her second husband, Sylvester "Bud" Rearden, died at 36 in Louisville, Kentucky. Although he had cancer, suspicions arose that Virginia may have hastened his death to claim insurance money.
- July 1985: The Palo Alto, California, home where Virginia lived with her mother, Mary Agnes Hoffman, was destroyed by fire. Despite suspicions of arson, Virginia and her mother received an insurance payout of $122,255.
- August 1986: Mary Agnes Hoffman, aged 74, died of a heart attack in Chula Vista, California. The circumstances raised suspicions, but no charges were filed.
- April 2, 1987: Deana Hubbard Wild, a 20-year-old acquaintance, was found dead at the base of a cliff in Big Sur, California. Investigations revealed that Virginia had taken out a $35,000 life insurance policy on Deana the day before her death. Evidence suggested that Virginia and her third husband, Billie Joe "B.J." McGinnis, had lured Deana to the cliff and pushed her over to collect the insurance money.
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