Loudoun County Sheriff Steve Simpson, Commonwealth’s Attorney Jim Plowman and several local elected representatives met at a Saturday, April 25 press conference only feet away from where William Bennett’s body was discovered.
While some may feel a sense of relief at the arrests, others may become more uneasy as it appears that the Lansdowne Attack, and other recent crimes in Loudoun, can now be tied to gang activity. While Sheriff Simpson described the attack on the Bennetts as “not in furtherance of the gang,” at least two of the suspects are believed to be connected to local gang activity due to prior encounters with law enforcement. Simpson indicated that the motive for the attack was likely robbery, a crime of opportunity. There appears to be no evidence that the Bennetts were targeted.
“They were simply at the wrong place at the wrong time,” said Simpson.
Darwin G. Bowman, 18, of Annandale and an unnamed 17-year-old male from Sterling have been charged with the Capital Murder of William Bennett. Because of the violent nature of the crime, Commonwealth’s Attorney Jim Plowman expressed his intention to certify the juvenile offender as an adult for trial.
Charges are pending against Anthony R. Roberts, 21, of Middleburg. Roberts was already in custody after being apprehended for the April 15 burglary of Loudoun Guns, a store in Leesburg. A fourth suspect, an 18-year old from Sterling, is also in custody for unrelated charges.
All four suspects are being held without bond.
Simpson indicated that additional arrests may be pending and that he does believe that additional subjects were involved in the attack.
The Attack
The body of William Bennett, 57, was discovered to the side of the road. He had been killed through what the Sheriff’s Office was described as “blunt trauma.” As the sun began to rise, officers noticed blood on a white fence on the opposite side of Riverside Parkway. Investigating what was potentially an extension of the crime scene, deputies discovered Bennett’s critically injured wife, Cynthia Bennett.
Having prosecuted hundreds of cases, Jim Plowman has said that, “I’ve never seen anything like this before.
Cynthia Bennett remains hospitalized although she is no longer considered critical and has been removed from intensive care. Although deputies have asked her about the event, Simpson indicated that “communication is still a problem.”
It has later released that the Bennetts were known to take early morning walks in the neighborhood. The couple was found less than a mile from their home. The parents of two, both were military veterans, William Bennett having later worked as a contractor for the CIA.
The brutal attack on the Bennetts stunned the residents of Lansdowne and neighboring communities. Over 800 people attended a community meeting where the police shared information on the incident and responded to concerns about local safety. Over 100 locals attended the March 29 pre-dawn walk and vigil.
Within days of the attack, a reward fund was established for the Bennett case by the newly-formed Loudoun Crime Commission. Initially established at $20,000, the reward fund has been added to by members of the community and through organizational fundraising. Reports place the reward fund currently at between forty and fifty thousand dollars. It is currently unknown whether a possible reward played into the arrests.
The Investigation
Since the investigation began, police have conducted literally hundreds of interviews and obtained over a dozen search warrants. According to Simpson, the majority of the true progress was made within the forty-eight hours prior to the announcement of the arrests. Simpson indicated that the investigation has been going “around the clock” for the past three days.
Rather than a break in the case, police closed in the on the four suspects through a combination of several incidents that fit together to provide a picture of a group who had been conducting their own mini-crime wave across Loudoun.
This is not the only recent crime connected with these men. At approximately 3:20 a.m. on April 15, Leesburg Police responded to a security alarm at the Leesburg Guns shop on Industrial Court. Discovering broken glass at the entrance to the store, officers discovered Anthony Rumont Roberts, who was been charged with Burglary, Grand Larceny, Concealing Stolen Firearms, Grand Larceny with Intent to Sell or Distribute Stolen Property, Obstruction of Justice and Destruction of Property. A second suspect, last seen wearing an orange ski mask and dark clothing fled from the scene. Simpson has said that he does not believe that the second participant in the Leesburg Gun burglary has been apprehended.
An attempted “smash and grab,” the majority of the stolen weapons were found on the sidewalk outside of the gun shop. However, a .45 caliber semi-automatic handgun was stolen. While Simpson described Roberts as “not cooperating,” he also indicated that the information accumulated about Roberts after his arrest provided a great deal of assistance in identifying all of the suspects currently under arrest.
Even earlier, the scenic Town of Middleburg was the scene of several burglaries. On Saturday, March 21—the night prior to the Bennett attack—three businesses were burglarized. Unknown persons forcibly entered the Saddlery Liquidators, Lou Lou Too and White Bench, stealing property and money from the cash register. A week earlier on March 15, seven downtown Middleburg businesses were burglarized. Police believe that some of the same suspects were also involved in the Middleburg burglaries.
Perhaps the most important break came from an earlier report of gang-on-gang violence that occurred earlier in the winter. On February 28, police responded to the Stone House community center in Cascades. An informal birthday party was taking place that broke into a mob assault. Witnesses later described a white van, whose occupants participated in the incident.
This report of another white van, also involved in violent criminal activity, was enough for deputies to begin interviewing witnesses at this event—then to apply search warrants to several homes.
The white van in question is now in police custody, having been seized on Thursday, April 23.
The investigation is ongoing and has included assistance from the FBI, CIA, US Secret Service, Northern Virginia Task Force, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Department of Forensic Science- State Crime Lab and the Police Departments of Fairfax, Middleburg and Leesburg.
There has been speculation that the same perpetrators were also involved in the Friday, March 27 Lansdowne home invasion or the March 26 murder of Jammie Lane in Leesburg. While Simpson and Chief Price of the Leesburg Police Department indicated that there is no evidence to connect these incidents to the suspects under arrest, the possibility is being considered and investigated.
Continuing Investigations
The Sheriff’s Office, in cooperation with several other agencies, is continuing its investigation into the murder of William Bennett, the attack on his wife and several other incidents in Loudoun—possibly related to gang activity.
Anyone with additional information on the suspects or incidents related here should contact the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division at 703-777-0475. Anonymous calls may call the Loudoun Crime Solvers at 703-777-1919.
While the Sheriff’s Office continues to investigate, the residents of Lansdowne and neighboring communities still struggle to feel safe in their own communities. Broad Run district Supervisor Lori Waters has announced a follow-up community meeting to discuss safety issues on Thursday, April 30 at 7 p.m. at the main ballroom of the National Conference Center.
NOTE: This is an evolving story. Updates and additional information will be provided as it becomes available.
Research on this article was completed with the assistance of Amy Burns and Dorry Samuels.
I'd sure like to learn more about these offenders' history ... and the sorry donors of gametes that resulted in these monsters.
"While Sheriff Simpson described the attack on the Bennetts as “not in furtherance of the gang,” at least two of the suspects are believed to be connected to local gang activity due to prior encounters with law enforcement. Simpson indicated that the motive for the attack was likely robbery, a crime of opportunity." Here's a virtual quarter, Sheriff. Buy a virtual clue. Senseless assaults hallmarked by the infliction of massive bodily injury on the victims by a group of losers -- generally male, and often of similar racial makeup -- are archetypal gang activities.
Alert to the Sheriff ...
... Even if the victims/bodies were not spray-painted with 'gang sign'
... Even if the losers can't even spell MS13, Crip, or Blood
... Even if you want to keep your head, ostrich-like, firmly wedged in the sand (lest it end up in some other unsavory orifice)
... THIS WAS GANG ACTIVITY!!!! And if that is an indictment on your law enforcement agency, or the local governments more concerned with political correctness and 'sanctuary' for criminals, accept it as such. And change.