The Shadow
WARM SPRINGS – It’s been a year Sunday since the unthinkable occurred.
The peace and tranquility of a Bath County March evening was rocked by gunfire, and in its aftermath, two Homestead workers were dead.
Now a year later, the suspect in the case remains at large, and law enforcement officers persist in bringing closure to perhaps Bath County’s most heinous crime.
“It’s an everyday thing that is always on our mind,” Bath County Sheriff Larry Norfleet said recently. “We think of the families who were the victims of this all the time. It certainly has to be hard for them not having any closure.”
Closure would come in the form of an arrest, Sheriff Norfleet said, but the suspect in the case, Beacher Ferrel Hackney, continues to elude the law.
Hackney, who lived in Covington, has been charged with capital murder and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony in connection with the March 21, 2009, shootings of Ronnie Stinnett and Dwight Kerr in the kitchen area of The Homestead.
Hackney was supervised by the victims, and all three worked in a department at The Homestead that is responsible for washing dishes, picking up trash and cleaning the kitchen.
The shootings occurred on a Saturday night when the resort was approximately 70 percent full. Guests in a nearby dining room were probably oblivious to the shootings, because a band was playing as they ate their dinner.
Hackney was last seen exiting the hotel on foot. He walked into a wooded area and hasn’t been seen since.
After Hackney fled the scene, authorities used tracking dogs, a helicopter and set up checkpoints along Bath County roads. They originally thought that Hackney might be dead, but their searches proved fruitless, and authorities are now relatively certain that he managed to elude their dragnet.
A $25,000 reward remains available for anyone who offers information leading to Hackney’s arrest, and the incident has been highlighted three times on “America’s Most Wanted.”
Anyone with any information on the case is urged to call the Bath County Sheriff’s Office at (540) 839-5300 or Virginia State Police at 1-800-542-5959.
Despite following up on 150-200 leads over the past year, Hackney remains at large.
“I want everyone to know that we are still very diligent in our search for Beacher Hackney,” Sheriff Norfleet said. “All of the agencies involved – Virginia State Police, our investigators and the U.S. Marshals Service – talk with each other on a regular basis.”
Authorities have tracked leads from Bath County to the Philippines – all to no avail.
“We’re just continuing to pursue all leads,” Sheriff Norfleet said. “Some are far-fetching, some we lend a little more credence.”
Lt. N.T. Dunnagan, the lead investigator on the case for the Bath County Sheriff’s Office, said the Hackney investigation remains at the forefront of his workload.
“This is still a very active case,” he said. “It’s my No. 1 priority. I’ve followed up leads as fresh as Monday.”
Lt. Dunnagan said the Homestead shootings are a case in point of how someone’s split-second actions can have a lasting effect on a family or a community.
“It’s how quick someone’s life can be taken,” he said. “It can happen in the blink of an eye.”
Both Sheriff Norfleet and Lt. Dunnagan agree that the shootings have also left an impact on them both personally and professionally.
“I’ve always been one who doesn’t like to leave things undone,” Sheriff Norfleet said. “It’s something I would very much like to bring to a conclusion, not only for my staff here in the sheriff’s office but also for the community, hotel workers and the families involved. It’s something that is on my mind constantly.”
“As a police officer and a citizen, I think about it,” Lt. Dunnagan added. “People still have it in the back of their minds.”
In remembrance of the victims, a memorial service will be held Sunday at The Homestead. Sheriff Norfleet and his staff will pause to remember the victims and their families, but the suspect in the case won’t be far from their thoughts.
“I hope and I pray that we catch this guy,” Lt. Dunnagan said. “A man just doesn’t fall from the face of the earth. He’ll make a mistake, and we’ll catch him.”
“He is a cowardly little man,” a defiant Sheriff Norfleet said. “He needs to face his accusers,” Lt. Dunnagan added.
It’s been a year Sunday since the unthinkable occurred in Bath County.
Lives were taken, while others were shattered. Some were changed forever.
“I think Bath County lost some of its innocence,” Lt. Dunnagan said. “If it can happen here, it can happen anywhere.”
