Farmville murders

37°17.7971′N 78°24.0735′W / 37.2966183°N 78.4012250°W / 37.2966183; -78.4012250

Farmville murders
Location of Farmville in the U.S. state of Virginia.
Location505 First Avenue
Farmville, Virginia, United States
Coordinates37°17.7971 N 78°24.0735 W
Attack type
Quadruple homicide
WeaponsBall-peen hammer and wood-splitting maul[1][2]
DeathsMark Niederbrock (age 50)
Dr. Debra S. Kelley (age 53)
Emma Niederbrock (age 16)
Melanie Wells (age 18)[3][4][5]
PerpetratorRichard Samuel McCroskey (age 20)[6]

The Farmville murders occurred in Farmville, Virginia, in September 2009 – the quadruple bludgeoning homicide of Mark Niederbrock, Debra S. Kelley, their daughter Emma Niederbrock and friend Melanie Wells.

Emma Niederbrock shared an online friendship with Richard Samuel McCroskey, a troubled aspiring rapper who travelled from California. Together, Emma, McCroskey, Emma's parents and Wells attended a horrorcore concert the week before. When Wells' mother could not locate her daughter, she alerted police, who discovered the murders.

McCroskey, 20 years old, was subsequently arrested,[7] convicted of the murders and sentenced to life in prison.[8] As of 2020, he is serving his sentence at Wallens Ridge State Prison in Big Stone Gap, Virginia.[9]

  1. ^ Williams, Reed (2009-11-03). "Richard McCroskey indicted in Farmville murders". WSLS.com. Richmond Times-Dispatch. Archived from the original on 2011-07-22. Retrieved 2011-03-27.
  2. ^ Williams, Reed (2009-11-03). "Details emerge about weapons used in Farmville killings". Richmond Times-Dispatch.
  3. ^ Bulwa, Demian (September 23, 2009). "Bay Area suspect allegedly bludgeoned victims". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
  4. ^ Said, Carolyn (September 21, 2009). "Slain girl on Bay Area rapper's MySpace". The San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
  5. ^ "'Syko Sam' Allegedly Argued With Girlfriend". Archived from the original on November 9, 2009.
  6. ^ Arnold, Eric (September 22, 2009). "Chilling New Details Emerge in Syko Sam Horrorcore Murders Case". San Francisco Weekly. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
  7. ^ Drash, Wayne (2009-10-06). "'Horrorcore' singer suspected in Virginia killings". CNN. Retrieved 2009-10-06.
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference GuiltyPlea was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ "Offender Locator". Virginia Department of Corrections. Retrieved 12 July 2018.