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Tuesday, August 22, 2006

Details released on Morva's flight, more news on the aftermath of a deadly escape and manhunt

Blacksburg returns to normal as details of court appearances, funerals and memorial funds are sorted out in the wake of a prisoner escape that left two dead, closed Virginia Tech's campus and threw a town into turmoil.

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UPDATED at 7:29 p.m.

Within hours of learning that a prisoner suspected of killing a security guard and a police officer was on the loose near Virginia Tech, students fled to their dorm rooms and turned to one of the most popular Web sites around: Facebook.

On Monday, students logged in and created 17 separate Facebook groups about the pursuit of escaped inmate William Morva.

The most popular one, “The Homicidal Maniac at Tech Club,” boasted 363 members by Tuesday afternoon. It featured a photograph of a white board decorated with a stick figure drawing of Morva in a set of crosshairs. The caption read, “KILL THE BASTARD!”

UPDATED at 6:10 p.m.

Gov. Tim Kaine's office says he has canceled appointments Thursday to attend the funeral for Montgomery County Sheriff's Deputy Eric E. Sutphin in Christiansburg.

UPDATED at 5:21 p.m.

Montgomery County Regional Hospital spokeswoman Suzanne Barnette said this afternoon that the hospital has changed its security arrangements since William Charles Morva was able to escape from police custody there early Sunday morning.

Two security guards are now working at the hospital between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., and three guards are working the 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. shift every day. The hospital is working with another company to help staff those shifts. Previously, the hospital had two guards on staff, she said.

Hospital security guard Derrick McFarland was killed during Sunday's escape. Police say Morva shot him with a gun he took from the deputy who had accompanied Morva from the Montgomery County Jail.

More from yesterday

Barnette said hospital administration had not yet had time to sit down with law enforcement officers to discuss the problems that led to Sunday's incident. But she said they plan on doing that as soon as possible.

"Our main focus is caring for our employees and taking care of Derrick McFarland's family right now," Barnette said.

UPDATED at 4:16 p.m.

Montgomery County Sheriff's Office Capt. Robert Hall, who oversees the Montgomery County Jail, gave this account of the events that led to William Charles Morva's escape Sunday morning from Montgomery Regional Hospital. Hall stressed the investigation of the incident is ongoing and officials are still piecing together accounts of the events, but said he didn't want to hide anything about what happened.

William Morva

William Morva, in his police mug shot taken after Monday's arrest.

At 10:15 p.m. Saturday, Morva told jail staff he fell out of bed and injured his right wrist and ankle. He was examined by medical staff at the jail, who recommended he be taken to the hospital.

He left the jail, supervised by a sheriff's deputy, at 11:40 p.m. Because of his injuries, Morva's right wrist was not cuffed. His left wrist was chained to his waist. The deputy took leg irons but did not attach them to Morva because of his ankle injury.

At the hospital X-rays were taken of his ankle and wrist, which were both diagnosed as severely sprained.

Morva then asked to use the bathroom and was taken to a one-toilet room while the deputy waited outside in the hallway.

After going to the bathroom, Morva needed help pulling his pants up because of his injury. When the deputy went in to help him with his pants, Hall said, Morva hit him over the head with a metal toilet-paper container, knocking him unconscious.

Morva then took the deputy's gun and, once in the hallway, shot hospital security guard Derrick McFarland, and shot through a locked glass door to escape. It was about 2:30 a.m. Sunday and Morva's 37-hour flight from police, during which he would be accused of killing Montgomery sheriff's deputy Eric E. Sutphin, had begun.

UPDATED at 3:59 p.m.

A memorial service will be held for Montgomery Regional Hospital security guard Derrick McFarland at 4 p.m. Thursday at Horne Funeral Service at 1300 N. Franklin St. in Christiansburg. He was killed in the early a.m. hours Sunday during William Charles Morva's escape.

McFarland will be buried in Baltimore, where much of his family lives.

Cornelia Morris of Christiansburg places a card on the cruiser issued to sheriff's deputy Eric E. Sutphin in the department's parking lot Tuesday. Morris was a casual friend of Sutphin, often seeing the officer out on bike patrol.

Matt Gentry | The Roanoke Times

Cornelia Morris of Christiansburg places a card on the cruiser issued to sheriff's deputy Eric E. Sutphin in the department's parking lot Tuesday. Morris was a casual friend of Sutphin, often seeing the officer out on bike patrol.

UPDATED at 3:03 p.m.

Slain sheriff's deputy Eric E. Sutphin enjoyed bike patrol and often patrolled the Huckleberry Trail, Lt. Brian Wright of the Montgomery County Sheriff's office said today.

But Sutphin wouldn't have been on the section of trail where police say he met William Charles Morva Monday morning -- inside Blacksburg town limits -- if not for the then-ongoing search for Morva.

Morva, in jail since being arrested last year in an attempted armed robbery case, escaped custody early Sunday after he was taken to Montgomery Regional Hospital for examination of what he said was a sprained ankle and wrist. Police say Morva overcame the deputy guarding him, took his gun and shot hospital guard Derrick McFarland, who was unarmed by tried to intervene in Morva's fight with the deputy. McFarland died of his wounds.

Wright said Sutphin was patrolling the Huckleberry Trail and came upon Morva while on his bike when he was shot. He gave no further details.

When asked if police had considered shutting down the Huckleberry Monday, Wright said at the time police thought Morva could've been anywhere.

"We would've shut down the whole town of Blacksburg given the reports we had," he said.

Wright said the sheriff's department is rebounding and trying to get back to normal today. Counseling is being offered to deputies and staff traumatized by Monday's shooting.

Sutphin was awarded the state's Medal of Valor for his role in a 2003 incident in which he came to the aid of a shot Christiansburg police officer, was wounded twice himself, and pursued the suspect with other officers until a final exchange of gunfire killed the suspect.

Wright said Sutphin enjoyed setting up community events and interacting with people on his bike. "He loved working with people," Wright said.

UPDATED at 2:46 p.m.

Lt. Brian Wright of the Montgomery County Sheriff's office said the identity of the deputy injured in William Charles Morva's escape Sunday is being protected "for his well-being while he's recovering." The deputy, who suffered a concussion and facial fractures, was due to be released from the hospital today, Wright said, adding that he wasn't sure if he had already been released.

UPDATED at 2:11 p.m.

Gov. Tim Kaine said Tuesday that a well-coordinated law enforcement effort kept the situation in and around Blacksburg Monday from being worse. Speaking to reporters in Richmond, the governor expressed sympathy for the families of Derrick McFarland and Eric E. Sutphin, saying he recognizes that "people are very, very devastated in the community about that loss."

"The quick law enforcement work kept it from being worse, and it could have been much worse," said Kaine, who stayed in telephone contact with Montgomery County Sheriff Tommy Whitt throughout the day Monday. "This individual [Morva] apparently had made a decision that he was going to take folks out with him rather than stand trial for the charges that he was going to be up on this week."

Kaine said the response by law enforcement agencies and Virginia Tech reflected levels of preparedness and cooperation that are essential in emergencies, and could provide lessons for the state in dealing with natural disasters or other hazardous events.

"One of the things we talk about is a culture of preparation," Kaine said. "We call it an all-hazard approach. If you prepare for a pandemic, you'll better respond to another hazard. If you prepare for a hurricane, you'll be better able to respond to a terrorist incident."

Kaine said his administration will evaluate the state's response to the Montgomery County incident to assess what went well and what might have worked better.

"I feel very, very good about it, based on what I know now," Kaine said. "But we never rest on our laurels in this job. The next challenge may be tougher than the last one. We've got to take a look and see if there is anything we could even do better."

UPDATED at 2:02 p.m.

Authorities are declining to name the deputy injured Sunday in William Charles Morva's escape from custody at Montgomery Regional Hospital. The deputy, who officials said sustained a concussion and possible facial fractures, is referred to as "John Doe" in court documents.

The deputy was still hospitalized Monday. Calls placed today to the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office and the Blacksburg police department for information have not been returned.

UPDATED at 1:58 p.m.

William Charles Morva was arraigned around 1:30 p.m. today in the Montgomery County magistrates office in Christiansburg. He is being held in the New River Valley Regional Jail in Dublin and the arraignment was done via video. Officials are not saying who was appointed as Morva's attorney for the charges stemming from Sunday's events.

Morva, 24, is charged with capital murder, use of a firearm in commission of a felony, escape and felony assault on a police officer in connection with his escape from custody Sunday at Montgomery Regional Hospital. His escape prompted a 37-hour manhunt through Blacksburg that led Virginia Tech to cancel its first day of classes Monday and evacuate staff from its campus.

Morva also is expected to be charged soon in relation to the shooting death Monday morning of Montgomery County Sheriff's Office Cpl. Eric E. Sutphin. Commonweatlth's Attorney Brad Finch said this morning that those charges would probably come later this week, though they could come this afternoon.

UPDATED at 1:49 p.m.

Montgomery Regional Hospital has established a fund to assist the family of Derrick McFarland, a hospital security guard who was shot to death Sunday morning. McFarland, who was unarmed, tried to assist a Montgomery County deputy who had brought William Charles Morva from the county jail to the hospital for examination of a wrist and ankle that Morva said was sprained. Police say Morva overpowered the deputy, took his gun and shot McFarland.

He left behind a wife and two children.

Hospital spokeswoman Suzanne Barnette said contributions to the Derrick McFarland Memorial Fund can be made at any branch of First National Bank.

UPDATED at 1:45 p.m.

Thomas DeBusk, the attorney representing William Charles Morva in an attempted armed robbery case from last year, has filed a continuance for Wednesday's scheduled trial. The trial will be postponed pending court approval of the motion.

Morva was in custody awaiting trial in the robbery case when he escaped Sunday, beginning a string of incidents that resulted in the deaths of a hospital guard and a sheriff's deputy, and a search that tied up Blacksburg and the Virginia Tech campus through Monday afternoon.

UPDATED at 1:27 p.m.

Blacksburg is returning to normal today, with all governments facilities closed Monday during the hunt for double shooting suspect William Charles Morva back open.

Downtown businesses, some of which shut down as roads were closed and Virginia Tech canceled its first day of classes and evacuated staff from campus, also seem to be operating again.

Bikers, walkers and joggers were back on the Huckleberry Trail where Morva is accused of killing Montgomery County Sheriff's Office Cpl. Eric E. Sutphin Monday morning, and where Morva was captured Monday afternoon.

Tech sophomore Emily Bollinger, who just recently moved into apartments near the trail, stopped during a bicycle ride today to express her surprise that events of the last two days had occurred in Blacksburg.

She said she'd barricaded herself in her apartment as police swarmed around the complex, and didn't leave until 5 p.m., after Morva was apprehended.

"I was scared enough that I wouldn't have gone anywhere," Bollinger said.

UPDATED at 1:20 p.m.

Funeral arrangements for Montgomery County Sheriff’s Deputy Eric Sutphin have been set.

Sheriff’s department spokesman Lt. Brian Wright said visitation will be 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday at Horne Funeral Service, 1300 N. Franklin St. in Christiansburg. Sutphin’s memorial service will be at 11 a.m. Thursday at St. Paul United Methodist Church, 220 W. Main St. in Christiansburg.

Michael Morva

Michael Morva, in his police mug shot

UPDATED at 1:04 p.m.

Michael Morva, brother of shooting suspect William Charles Morva, declared his own innocence today after being arraigned on charges of conspiring to escape and possessing marijuana. The county prosecutor has declined to say how Michael Morva may have helped William Morva escape Sunday from Montgomery Regional Hospital.

Being led from the Montgomery County Courthouse, Michael Morva shouted that his brother was the killer and that he had done nothing.

UPDATED at 12:06 p.m.

Montgomery County Commonwealth's Attorney Brad Finch is declining to release information about where William Morva is held.

When Morva escaped he was facing charges of attempted armed robbery of the Deli Mart on Glade Road in Blacksburg in 2005. Had he pled guilty, the guidelines for his punishment would have been three to four years in prison, Finch said.

Finch also is declining to say more about the conspiracy to escape charges filed against Morva's brother Michael Morva. He was booked into the Montgomery County Jail Sunday morning. Finch said only that the primary component of any conspiracy charge is an agreement between two people to commit a certain crime.

POSTED at 11:28 a.m.

Montgomery County Commonwealth's Attorney Brad Finch said this morning that William Charles Morva will likely be arraigned today on charges that he fatally shot hospital security guard Derrick McFarland early Sunday morning.

In addition to capital murder, Morva, 24, faces charges of use of a firearm in commission of a felony, escape and felony assault on a police officer in connection with his escape from custody Sunday at Montgomery Regional Hospital. His escape prompted a 37-hour manhunt through Blacksburg that led Virginia Tech to cancel its first day of classes Monday and evacuate staff from its campus.

Morva also is expected to be charged soon in relation to the shooting death Monday morning of Montgomery County Sheriff's Office Cpl. Eric E. Sutphin. Finch said those charges would probably come later this week, though they could come this afternoon.

There is no word yet on whether Morva's trial on attempted robbery charges -- the charges that led to his incarceration in the first place -- will proceed Wednesday as was scheduled before Sunday's escape.