CA, Winek, Mark 69, Sharie 65, Brooke 38--deceased, teen kidnapped, Riverside 11/25/22

[jash]

I wonder what his immediate plan was... take her back to VA and "live happily ever after"? What a nightmare.

 

[rsd1200]

Riverside suspect died by suicide after killing 3 people, fleeing with teen, officials say

Authorities now say that Edwards killed himself when confronted by deputies.
Additionally, they reveal that all three victims had their hands and feet duct taped before being killed.
Autopsies are being conducted to determine causes of death. They were not shot.

More mysteries...

Well, at least he saved the state a lot of money and the victim's family from a horrible trial. Blessings to the young girl, and her surviving family members. May her family be able to comfort her and get her the appropriate care that she will need.

 

[JoeFromLB]

At the risk of being a pest, why is it taking so long to release the cause of death of the three victims? I don't understand the delay. Reports are they were not shot. Another report I recall said they were killed before the fire was set. I don't get it.
There is nothing on the web about this, only that they were killed. That's it.

 

[PriorTheCreator]

At the risk of being a pest, why is it taking so long to release the cause of death of the three victims? I don't understand the delay. Reports are they were not shot. Another report I recall said they were killed before the fire was set. I don't get it.
There is nothing on the web about this, only that they were killed. That's it.

I wonder how common it is for LE to drag feet or withhold info when investigating one of their own

 

[cocomod]

Ex-trooper bought home, blacked out windows, weeks before allegedly killing family of teen he catfished, seller says

Austin Lee Edwards, a former Virginia trooper, is accused of killing a 15-year-old girl's mother and grandparents in California. He died in a shootout with authorities.

www.nbcnews.com

Weeks before a former Virginia state trooper allegedly killed three members of a California family in a “catfishing” scheme, he bought a home sight unseen and blacked out the windows, the man who sold him the house said Friday.

Edwards, 28, asked almost no questions about the home and moved in on Nov. 14, Gordon said. Property records from Smyth County, Virginia, list Austin Lee Edwards as the owner of the home on Allison Gap Road. He paid $79,900, according to the records.

 

[LordMo]

I wonder how common it is for LE to drag feet or withhold info when investigating one of their own

extremely.

 

[katydid23]

Ex-trooper bought home, blacked out windows, weeks before allegedly killing family of teen he catfished, seller says

Austin Lee Edwards, a former Virginia trooper, is accused of killing a 15-year-old girl's mother and grandparents in California. He died in a shootout with authorities.

www.nbcnews.com

Weeks before a former Virginia state trooper allegedly killed three members of a California family in a “catfishing” scheme, he bought a home sight unseen and blacked out the windows, the man who sold him the house said Friday.

Edwards, 28, asked almost no questions about the home and moved in on Nov. 14, Gordon said. Property records from Smyth County, Virginia, list Austin Lee Edwards as the owner of the home on Allison Gap Road. He paid $79,900, according to the records.

That^^^^ is extremely frightening. So he planned to move his 'new bride' into this home with blacked out windows, and then what?

 

[JoeFromLB]

I wonder how common it is for LE to drag feet or withhold info when investigating one of their own

The perp is dead, so I don't imagine there's a reason to withhold the results of the autopsies. He was a cop in Virginia, not in Riverside County, California.
There are two unanswered questions here, imo. The cause of the deaths should be fairly obvious to a coroner since he killed them quickly. The medical examiner should be able to figure this out quickly. I would imagine some violence was done here to these persons. How do you kill three people quickly and the cause still remains unknown?? Did he poison them? All the early reports said they were killed before the fire was set. Maybe not? Died from smoke inhalation?

The other mystery is how did he duct tape both their hands behind them, and their feet, all by himself with apparently no resistance. Where was the teenager when all this was happening?? Not casting suspicion here, just wondering about the specifics of the timeline.

Maybe it's just me, but why the delays, and why the silence?? I would just like the loose ends tied up. That's why we're all here, right?

 

[chimpface]

Creepy looking dude!

Fetal alcohol syndrome maybe?

 

[cocomod]

The perp is dead, so I don't imagine there's a reason to withhold the results of the autopsies. He was a cop in Virginia, not in Riverside County, California.
There are two unanswered questions here, imo. The cause of the deaths should be fairly obvious to a coroner since he killed them quickly. The medical examiner should be able to figure this out quickly. I would imagine some violence was done here to these persons. How do you kill three people quickly and the cause still remains unknown?? Did he poison them? All the early reports said they were killed before the fire was set. Maybe not? Died from smoke inhalation?

The other mystery is how did he duct tape both their hands behind them, and their feet, all by himself with apparently no resistance. Where was the teenager when all this was happening?? Not casting suspicion here, just wondering about the specifics of the timeline.

Maybe it's just me, but why the delays, and why the silence?? I would just like the loose ends tied up. That's why we're all here, right?

I think you are insinuating that the teen may have helped him. To be honest, I highly doubt it. It has been reported that when he asked for explicit pictures, she declined.

He was a cop. He was trained to take down criminals. He likely threatened with a gun and most people comply with a gun in their face or pointed at a loved one. I sincerely believe he acted alone and thus poor girl was catfished and innocent. She had no idea the lengths that pedophiles will go to.

 

[jash]

I think you are insinuating that the teen may have helped him. To be honest, I highly doubt it. It has been reported that when he asked for explicit pictures, she declined.

He was a cop. He was trained to take down criminals. He likely threatened with a gun and most people comply with a gun in their face or pointed at a loved one. I sincerely believe he acted alone and thus poor girl was catfished and innocent. She had no idea the lengths that pedophiles will go to.

It's possible he used a gun to force the girl to bind her family members. Thankfully her sibling wasn't home at the time.

I hope the two of them are able to overcome the trauma in time with the support of extended family.

 

[jash]

https://www.usnews.com/news/us/articles/2022-12-07/deputy-who-killed-teens-family-was-on-psych-hold-in-2016

A Virginia sheriff’s deputy who killed the family members of a 15-year-old California girl he tried to sexually extort online had been detained in 2016 for a psychiatric evaluation over threats to kill himself and his father, years before he joined law enforcement, according to a police report.

That raises new questions about how the man was hired by the Virginia State Police and later by a Virginia sheriff’s office without any red flags.

 

[JoeFromLB]

When you google Winek Riverside cause of death, the last entries are from November 30th.
Still no word on the results of the autopsies. Odd. How did he kill them?? I can't get this out of my mind. There should be results forthcoming, I would think.

 

[jash]

Deputy in California slayings killed self with service gun

Authorities say a Virginia sheriff’s deputy who they believe traveled to California to kill three family members of a 15-year-old girl he tried to sexually extort online killed himself with a government-issued firearm

abcnews.go.com

...Edwards died by suicide during a shootout with San Bernardino sheriff’s deputies...detectives determined the gun used was Edwards’ department-issued semi-automatic service pistol...

...

On Thursday — a day after the Los Angeles Times broke the news about the mental health episode — the Virginia State Police said a recently completed review showed “human error” resulted in an incomplete database query during the hiring process.

 

[BeginnerSleuther]

Did he actually have a mental health diagnosis? It seems he was held due to threats to kill himself and his father.

 

[GoBuckeyes]

I wonder how common it is for LE to drag feet or withhold info when investigating one of their own

IMO, not common at all. He's dead. It was clear that he committed multiple felonies. Whether he shot them, stabbed them, poisoned them, etc., murder is murder. It's not going to look any better or worse for him, and he doesn't represent the department for which he worked, nor the other men and women in blue with whom he worked. There are some sick and twisted people in every profession, vocation, trade, and avocation. Those people are the minority, not the majority IMOO.

 

[sds71]

Edwards' colleagues allegedly removed a sheriff's truck and a black trash bag from the man's Abingdon, Virginia, home on November 25, the same day the murders took place in California.

Officials from the Riverside Police Department told the Southern California outlet they were not privy to the removal of the items.


One lawyer who spoke with the Times described the situation as 'strange' and said it doesn't make sense why deputies who worked for Washington County, where Edwards worked, would travel into a different county for a search.

Two other law enforcement officials in Virginia told the outlet they recognized the two men in the video and confirmed they work for the agency where Edwards was employed previous to his death.

'This smells pretty bad,' said one criminal lawyer based in Washington, DC. 'There are only a few reasons why that may happen, and none of them are good or leg

VA trooper who catfished CA teen used service weapon to kill himself

The Virginia trooper who catfished a 15-year-old Southern California girl and murdered three members of her family used his own service weapon to kill himself, officials now say.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[Marysmith]

Edwards' colleagues allegedly removed a sheriff's truck and a black trash bag from the man's Abingdon, Virginia, home on November 25, the same day the murders took place in California.

Officials from the Riverside Police Department told the Southern California outlet they were not privy to the removal of the items.


One lawyer who spoke with the Times described the situation as 'strange' and said it doesn't make sense why deputies who worked for Washington County, where Edwards worked, would travel into a different county for a search.

Two other law enforcement officials in Virginia told the outlet they recognized the two men in the video and confirmed they work for the agency where Edwards was employed previous to his death.

'This smells pretty bad,' said one criminal lawyer based in Washington, DC. 'There are only a few reasons why that may happen, and none of them are good or leg

VA trooper who catfished CA teen used service weapon to kill himself

The Virginia trooper who catfished a 15-year-old Southern California girl and murdered three members of her family used his own service weapon to kill himself, officials now say.

www.dailymail.co.uk

This is so disturbing. I can’t believe anyone would try to protect this man in any way.

 

[Sunny Day]

That^^^^ is extremely frightening. So he planned to move his 'new bride' into this home with blacked out windows, and then what?

He bought the house without seeing it, but required the seller to send him videos of the basement! So scary to think about what he planned to do with the basement.

Ex-trooper bought home, blacked out windows, weeks before allegedly killing family of teen he catfished, seller says

Austin Lee Edwards, a former Virginia trooper, is accused of killing a 15-year-old girl's mother and grandparents in California. He died in a shootout with authorities.

www.nbcnews.com

 

[kkdj]

I just found out this was one of my friends family members that got murdered and the teen kidnapped!
Wow!
Her sister, brother in law and niece were murdered and her great niece kidnapped!
Wow!
My friend and I used to be roommates when I was in college so we go way back!
I'm so stunned I can't even tell you!
What a terrible situation!