Tuesday, August 22, 2006
Shooting suspect called 'wanderer'
The suspect in the shooting deaths of two people in Blacksburg had a reputation as an intelligent but ideosyncratic person.
William Morva had a reputation for being an intelligent person with odd habits, such as always going barefoot.
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- A celebrity of sorts
Before he became nationally notorious, William Morva was already a well-known character on the downtown Blacksburg scene.
At one point after Morva's arrest on armed robbery charges last year, a T-shirt with an image of him, surrounded by the words "William Morva Is An A------," became a local item.
The shirt was made by Rebecca Cartage and her boyfriend, Mark Williams.
Williams had tried to help Morva out by arranging cellphone service for him because Morva lacked a credit card, Cartage said. When Morva was arrested last year he was unable to repay Williams, who wound up on the hook for $389, Cartage said. To cover the debt the couple, who are now working on an organic farm in Michigan, started selling the T-shirts for $5 apiece. They sold about 50 shirts, Cartage said.
She said Morva used to always joke that he could make money selling such a shirt, "but it never got off the ground because he wouldn't let us take his picture." After Morva's robbery arrest, they got the picture they needed -- his mug shot.
-- Albert Raboteau
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BLACKSBURG -- Chris "Tank" Allen had to kick William Morva out of Souvlaki's a time or two.
The big fellow -- who has worked at the popular Greek restaurant on College Avenue for the past three years -- wasn't angry with the Bohemian-styled Morva, a well-known wanderer who frequented several Blacksburg eateries where he was known for engaging people in passionate conversations.
"He actually was a very nice guy," Allen said. "He never was disruptive. He just knew he wasn't supposed to be in here without shoes."
Morva -- who earned the nickname "Barefoot Will" -- rebelled against shoes. He didn't wear them in summer or winter unless he had to.
"Eventually," Allen said, "he started carrying a pair with him to get into restaurants."
Amanda Malueg, a 25-year-old Virginia Tech graduate student who knew Morva from Bollo's, his favorite coffee shop hangout, recalled that Morva's aversion to shoes had philosophical roots.
"I remember one conversation where he talked about evolution and said people shouldn't wear shoes. He felt because we were warm-blooded, we didn't need shoes."
"It didn't make any sense to me," Malueg added. "He was always talking and laughing. I just thought he was this interesting guy, this free spirit. I didn't think he was crazy or anything."
But Monday -- as throngs of police officers descended on Blacksburg to search for the shooting suspect -- many who knew the 24-year-old fugitive questioned his mental state.
"He's an extremely intelligent person," said Paul Moore, 20. "I guess right now he's insane."
Moore, who described himself as a "really good friend" of Morva's, called the fugitive "very manipulative and very intelligent."
Moore described Morva as a survivalist who often lived in the Jefferson National Forest for long stretches. He also pointed to Morva's serious stomach disorder, as did others who know him.
"He would only eat meat," Moore said. "He claimed he could only digest certain things. He wouldn't eat fruits or vegetables."
Moore also depicted Morva as "fixated" with his claim to American Indian heritage. "A lot of his arguments were based around the assumption that Native Americans were oppressed and he associated himself with Native Americans."
"He has more anxiety than anybody I've ever seen," Moore added. "He defines himself by being an outcast."
Bollo's barista Felicia Jackson has worked at the coffee shop since it opened in 1994. Morva, she said, was off-putting to many of her customers.
"He liked to pontificate on things to anybody who would listen," she said. "Sometimes whether they wanted to listen or not."
John Dix, a 21-year-old Virginia Tech student who also works at Bollo's, said Morva would nurse a cup of coffee for hours.
"We all came to realize he was one that just mooched off of others," Dix said, noting that Morva talked to him about shared memories of Richmond. Both grew up around Hull Street before moving to Blacksburg.
When Morva's father died in 2004, Dix and others said they detected a spiraling decline in Morva's behavior. Charles Morva -- who worked as a substitute teacher at Blacksburg High School -- moved back to the Richmond area with his wife, Elizabeth, several years ago. He died of cancer there.
"I don't even think he went to his dad's funeral," Dix said.
Christina Gardner, who went to Blacksburg High School with William Morva, said Morva and his father had a difficult relationship, but Morva "didn't know how to deal with the death of his father."
Anna Calasanti, 23, also attended Blacksburg High with Morva and remembers the day in trigonometry when he dropped out.
"He would constantly miss class or come in late. He would pick fights with the teacher," Calasanti recalled. "One morning, he came in and they got into a fight. He said, 'F--- this!" and walked out. Dropped out of high school and never came back."
Calasanti, who works at Gillie's -- another of Morva's hangouts -- said she distanced herself from Morva a couple of years ago.
"He went through a very long period where he would crash on people's couches. He crashed on a lot of my friends' couches. ... He felt like the world owed him something."
Michael Morva was the only one of William Morva's three siblings who remained in Blacksburg. A waiter at Ceritano's Italian Restaurant, Michael Morva, 26, is described as a hard worker by manager Tina Ceritano.
"He works day and night. He says he wants to help his brother for the lawyer," Ceritano said. "Michael, he don't deserve this."
But Michael Morva was arrested Sunday morning after his brother's escape from Montgomery Regional Hospital and charged with possession of marijuana and conspiracy to escape.
Reached at his home near Richmond, 34-year-old Nat Morva -- the eldest Morva sibling -- said he has not had contact with Will in the past five years. His mother, he said, is staying with friends. Morva's siblings also include a sister.
"We have mixed feelings," Nat Morva said. "We're mourning the loss of the two lives that are taken. We're all hurting over the loss of those families.
"He is my brother. I'm just glad he is back in custody so he can't hurt others but not hurt himself, either. ... This is not the brother I grew up with. He was a loving child. He could never hurt or harm another human being."
"We all want to know why this happened," he added. "He needs help. Maybe now he'll get some help. That's my prayer. That's my hope."
