VA - State Senator Creigh Deeds Stabbed in Bath County Home

Virginia State Police say State Senator Creigh Deeds is in serious condition after being assaulted by his son in his Bath County home Tuesday morning.

Democratic sources tell News4 that Deeds' son Austin "Gus" Deeds attacked his father Tuesday morning before turning a gun on himself. Police say Gus Deeds died at the scene.

Virginia State Police were called to Deeds' home at 7:25 a.m., and the senator was flown to UVA Hospital in Charlottesville.

The investigation into the incident is ongoing.

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http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/l...Assaulted-in-Bath-County-Home--232498761.html

I found a news update that said a second deceased victim was found in the home. Wikipedia article on Deeds says he divorced and then remarried in 2012. Could his son have killed his stepmom and then tried to do so to his father?
My first thought was that there could be political overtones but apparently not..

Snick1946 said:

I found a news update that said a second deceased victim was found in the home. Wikipedia article on Deeds says he divorced and then remarried in 2012. Could his son have killed his stepmom and then tried to do so to his father?
My first thought was that there could be political overtones but apparently not..

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The Times Dispatch article says: Regarding Deeds' son, state police would only say that "a second individual at the residence is deceased."

They seem to be talking about the son.

All accounts I've seen say there were two vicitms - Creigh Deeds, injured critically, and his son, who is deceased.

So sad....

Deeds is in hospital in Cville and his son Gus (24) is dead from self inflicted gunshot. Deeds is reported to have been stabbed in the head and upperbody. I don't have a link,it's on the radio.

Elley Mae said:

Deeds is in hospital in Cville and his son Gus (24) is dead from self inflicted gunshot. Deeds is reported to have been stabbed in the head and upperbody. I don't have a link,it's on the radio.

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http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/l...Assaulted-in-Bath-County-Home--232498761.html

Senator Deeds was alert and has talked to investigators.

http://www.nbc29.com/story/24009378/senator-deeds-assaulted-in-his-home

So sad. We live in Va, and he is a good person... I hope he fully recovers - I'm sure whoever stabbed him did not expect him to survive and be able to tell. I do hope it's not as Snick1946 has suggested. :no:

ETA: Nevermind. I think Snick1946 is correct.

Virginia State Police Sgt. Mike King told the Roanoke Times that Gus Deeds suffered an “apparent” self-inflicted gunshot wound. King told the Times that the father and son were the only ones in the house at the time.

Geller said authorities are not looking for anyone else who might have been involved in the assault.

“We’re not looking for a third person,” Geller said. “We’re five hours into the investigation. There’s still a lot more work to be done.”

A second news conference has been scheduled for 3 p.m.

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Well, this is a shame:

Virginia state Sen. Creigh Deeds stabbed by son who then killed himself: report

.....Law enforcement sources are investigating what led to the violence. Just a day earlier, Gus Deeds had been evaluated under an emergency custody order for mental health issues, Dennis Cropper, executive director of the Rockbridge County Community Services Board, told the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

Health officials said that no psychiatric bed was available for Deeds and so he was released...

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/pol...tion-stabbing-article-1.1521697#ixzz2l7d7JLqq

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So close, and so sad. Break-ins are on the rise here in Eastern Ky. People are breaking in, stealing, then taking what they steal to the pawn shops. They have already hit me one time this year. I was hoping that this was the case here. When you live in an isolated area like I do, people won't hesitate to try and do what they can do under the cover of darkness. If not for my German Shepherd bed buddy, I might not be typing this. They will even scope out to see how your security lights work. Sending prayers out to the family.

belimom said:

Well, this is a shame:

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That is so troubling to read that there was no bed available and he was released. They tried to do the right thing and get him help. This all could have been prevented.

So many violent crimes are due to untreated mental illness. Is there ever going to come a time where this is acknowledged?

Hospitals don't turn away people that are having serious physical problems like heart attack.

So sad. Released due to budget cuts. Nothing more. Nothing less. I see the same here in Canada. No bed. No help.

belimom said:

So sad. We live in Va, and he is a good person... I hope he fully recovers - I'm sure whoever stabbed him did not expect him to survive and be able to tell. I do hope it's not as Snick1946 has suggested. :no:

ETA: Nevermind. I think Snick1946 is correct.

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Pretty sure the son did it. They were trying to get him admitted to a psych hospital (or a regular hospital for a psych eval) and could find no open beds -- this was a day, or days, before this incident. I read this on cnn.com a few minutes ago.

oh_gal said:

Pretty sure the son did it. They were trying to get him admitted to a psych hospital (or a regular hospital for a psych eval) and could find no open beds -- this was a day, or days, before this incident. I read this on cnn.com a few minutes ago.

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They just had a press conference and were asked to confirm this info. They said state law prohibits discussing anything about psych holds. I feel officials hide behind HIPPAA or other evil actions when they don't want to admit failings in the system. The guy is dead. What is left to protect?

"Rescue units and law enforcement were called to the home occupied by Creigh’s former wife, Pam, about 7:30 a.m. for a victim suffering from stab wounds.

Shortly thereafter, another 9-1-1 call went out for a second man suffering from a gunshot wound to the head. Law enforcement units from the Virginia State Police and the Bath County Sheriff’s Office were already in the process of responding to the scene.

At 7:55 a.m., the gunshot wound victim, now known as Gus Deeds, was reported on the scanner to be “coding,” meaning he was near death.

Creigh Deeds sustained multiple stab wounds to the shoulder and torso, and experienced great blood loss. He is currently in critical condition at UVa."


http://www.therecorderonline.com/news/2013-11-14/Top_News/Sen_suffered_great_blood_loss.html


This article is from a "community newspaper", written prior to the noon press conference. According to this the incident took place in a home occupied by the former wife.

Other articles say a cousin happened to be driving by and found Deeds walking along the road bleeding, having fled the house.

I suppose early reports of incidents get facts garbled. It all sounds pretty strange.

Tragic, tragic.

State police would not comment on reports that Gus Deeds was released from Bath Community Hospital Monday following a mental health evaluation performed under an emergency custody order. The Richmond Times-Dispatch reported a psychiatric bed could not be found for him over a wide area of western Virginia.

http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/l...Assaulted-in-Bath-County-Home--232498761.html

"We're still looking into and leaning towards it being an attempted murder-suicide. But at this time, it's not concrete," Geller told a televised news conference, adding that police had recovered a firearm.

Police gave scant details about what they believe happened inside the home. Only Deeds and his son were at home at the time of the incident, though the senator's wife lives there as well, Geller said.

After Deeds was stabbed, the senator walked from his home to the street, police said. A cousin who was driving by saw him, picked him up and took him to the cousin's home, where they called police.

Geller said Deeds has been able to talk to police and was in fair condition, but declined to release details about his statements."


http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/sns-rt-us-usa-senator-virginia-20131119,0,2188054.story

Headline of the above story is "Police probe IF Virginia senator was stabbed by son". I suppose they need to have objective proof that the stabbing was done by the son before they make a definitive statement? But surely if a stabbing victim says "so-and-so did this to me" that is pretty darn definitive.

I am confused about "the wives". One article says ex-wife lived at this house. This one says "his wife" lived there but was not home. "His wife" would be the second wife.

Questions I have:

Who lived at this house? Where was wife #2 if not at this house?

Did son live at this house? Was wife #2 not there because she was afraid after son was released from psychiatric hold the day before?

How was victim dressed? In pajamas? Was he asleep when attacked? How do you stab someone multiple times in one area of the body if they are awake and upright?

Although we will likely never know, I do wonder what the "working diagnosis" was of the son was when he was released the prior day "because they could not find an available bed". (And things must be pretty bad if you are a State Senator and your child needs to be hospitalized and they "can't find a bed"!)

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Here is an article about another "messed up" son of a prominent father. Luckily in this case, the father notified police of the son's threats. Son is now in prison. (This story was a long and ongoing story that was known and followed by the local press for several years prior to the dramatic arrest of the son - who had the father's stolen gun with him - at the Pepperdine campus.) Upon reading this article it sounds as if this father still holds out hope for his son. I hope that father is following THIS story!

http://www.malibutimes.com/news/article_d7e231ec-862b-11e2-a5e6-001a4bcf887a.html?mode=image&photo=0

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Oh, my. There is speculation within comments after this article that the father may have shot the son. In self defense.

"We are looking at this as an attempted murder and suicide," Geller said at a late-afternoon news conference.

Authorities said they were still working to determine precisely what happened as the events unfolded around 7:25 a.m. at the home of Deeds, a Democrat who was his party's unsuccessful nominee for governor in 2009 and attorney general in 2005."

http://www.timesdispatch.com/news/s...cle_431e61ca-5128-11e3-944a-001a4bcf6878.html

gitana1 said:

They just had a press conference and were asked to confirm this info. They said state law prohibits discussing anything about psych holds. I feel officials hide behind HIPPAA or other evil actions when they don't want to admit failings in the system. The guy is dead. What is left to protect?

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The son was evaluated but no psychiatric bed could be found for him. So they just let him go.

"The son was evaluated Monday at Bath Community Hospital, Cropper said, but was released because no psychiatric bed could be located across a wide area of western Virginia."

http://www.timesdispatch.com/news/s...cle_431e61ca-5128-11e3-944a-001a4bcf6878.html