TN - Steven Rodriguez, 41, & Natasha Gross, 21, murdered, Johnson City, May 2010

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http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/News/article.php?ID=77188

Police issue missing person alert for woman connected to East Pine murder victim
By Staff Reports
JohnsonCityPress.com
webstaff@johnsoncitypress.com

Johnson City police issued an alert Thursday seeking public assistance in finding a 21-year-old woman in connection to a man's stabbing death that occurred earlier this week.

Police considered Natasha Gross, 516 Grays Pointe Court, a missing person, according to a news release. She was last seen in Johnson City on Sunday.

Gross's name was on the lease of an apartment at 612 E. Pine St., where Steven Rodriguez, 41, 2 Elton St., Brooklyn, N.Y., was found stabbed to death on Tuesday.

Police said Gross was last seen driving a 2010 black Honda Lx registered to John Collins.

One neighbor, Antonio Fortune, said he saw her last week driving a white Chevrolet Tahoe.

"They've only been around here for probably a month, or a month and a half," said Fortune of Gross and Rodriguez. "They didn't speak... just hung out at the house. Nothing suspicious."

Police said Rodriguez was staying with Gross while he was in town from Brooklyn, N.Y.

Fortune said he did not hear a disturbance in the apartment building Monday night.

"We didn't hear a thing. We had all our windows open," he said.

According to police, Gross recently worked as a performer at the Mouse's Ear night club in Johnson City. Staff at the club declined to comment.

Police described Collins as being 5 feet, 5 inches tall, weighing 130 pounds and having black hair and blue eyes. Gross is also known as Natasha Collins and Star Collins, police said.

The victim had been unable to be located by friends or family, and police considered her to be endangered.

TreeStreetsMurderwithmugs.jpg
 
http://www.timesnews.net/article.php?id=9023789

Authorities say suspects charged in Johnson City murder also involved in missing woman's deathBy staff report
Published June 10th, 2010 | Added June 10th, 2010 9:45 am

Three Gray residents charged in connection with a man's stabbing death at an East Pine Street apartment were also involved with the death and dismemberment of a Johnson City woman who has been missing since the man's body was discovered May 25, according to court records.

Rodriguez 41, was found dead May 25 inside a 612 E. Pine St. apartment. Natasha Collins, 21, has been missing since Rodriguez' body was found in the apartment she leased.
 
http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/News/article.php?ID=77613

Thursday, June 10, 2010
Update: Gray residents arrested for East Pine Street murder now charged in Virginia dismemberment case
By Staff Reports
JohnsonCityPress.com
webstaff@johnsoncitypress.com

<snipped>

According to a court affidavit, Gilbert told police that he and Tony dismembered Collins' body and spread her remains over a mountain in Scott County, Va. in an attempt to keep her from being found.

Collins' death was committed in order "to tie up the loose ends of there being a witness to the murder," investigators said in the affidavit.

A woman’s body was discovered Wednesday afternoon in a remote wooded area of Scott County, Va.
 
From June 2014:

http://www.timesnews.net/article/9078418/three-indicted-in-scott-county-murder

A Scott County grand jury returned true bill indictments on Gary Gilbert, John Anthony "Tony" Purcell, and his wife Jennifer Crabtree "Storm" Purcell, all of Gray, on charges of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, robbery, defiling a dead body and concealing a dead body...

Gilbert and the Purcells also faced murder charges in Johnson City in connection with the May 2010 stabbing death of Stephen Rodriguez, of Brooklyn, N.Y. Gary Gilbert and Tony Purcell were each convicted Monday of second-degree murder in that case, while Jennifer Purcell was found guilty of aggravated burglary. All three are currently incarcerated in Washington County, Tenn...

A fourth suspect in Collins' murder, Valerie Gail Arnold, of Hiltons, Va., was indicted for her role in the slaying in July 2010. Arnold is serving a life sentence after being found guilty in 2011 of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and accessory after the fact.

From this month:

http://www.timesnews.net/article/9088138/gray-woman-enters-plea-in-scott-county-murder

A Tennessee woman has pleaded guilty to accessory to first-degree murder for her role in the death of Natasha Gross, aka Natasha Collins, 21.

Jennifer Crabtree “Storm” Purcell, of Gray, had been scheduled to stand trial before a jury this week in Scott County Circuit Court on the charge... Purcell will be sentenced on July 20 by 30th Circuit Court Judge John Kilgore. The conviction carries a possible life sentence.

A second co-defendant in the case, Jennifer Purcell’s husband, John Person Purcell, of Gray, pleaded guilty in December 2014 to first-degree murder charges in the death of Gross. He received 70 years to serve in prison for his role in Gross’ murder... The fourth co-defendant, Gary Gilbert, also of Gray, is scheduled to stand trial before a jury in July in Scott County Circuit Court.
 

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