Va. man convicted of revenge killing spree against city

FAIRFAX, Va. -- A jury has convicted a Virginia man for the murders of three prominent Alexandria residents over the course of a decade.

Prosecutors made the case that it was Charles Severance's hatred for the city of Alexandria after losing a child custody case there which drove him to commit the crimes. Severance, of Ashburn, is a former Alexandria resident and a fringe candidate for political office. Sitting in a wheelchair with a bad ankle, he stared ahead as the verdict was read.

Severance was convicted of the shooting murders of Nancy Dunning, wife of then-Sheriff James Dunning, in 2003; transportation planner Ron Kirby in 2013; and music teacher Ruthanne Lodato last year. He is said to have killed them all in their homes.

Prosecutors said Severance had a history of erratic behavior and that he harbored animosity after losing custody of his son, Levite, in an Alexandria court proceeding. Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney David Lord told jurors that the seemingly random killings of the three only begins making sense when one looks at them"through the prism of the eyes of a man who hated Alexandria."

Defense lawyers had argued that Severance suffered from mental illness and that caused him to look suspicious, but that their client didn't commit the crimes.

"Everyone is suspicious of the middle-aged man with no place to call home," defense lawyer Megan Thomas said at the outset of her closing argument.

Severance was found guilty on all 10 charges filed, including two counts of capital murder. Prosecutors have indicated they won't seek the death penalty. Severance will be automatically sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole.

During the monthlong trial, prosecutors laid out a largely circumstantial case, but also presented testimony from a key eyewitness. Dorcas Franko, a home health worker in the Lodato home, who was shot but survived. She gave police a description that they used to develop a sketch of their suspect.

At trial, Franko identified Severance as the attacker, although in previous interviews with police she had not provided a definitive identification. Prosecutors also presented evidence that Severance's red Ford Escort station wagon was seen in the neighborhood in the minutes after the Lodato shooting, and two witnesses said they saw him in the neighborhood.

Defense attorney Thomas said witnesses testified with more conviction than they did in their interviews with police because they wanted to be helpful to the commonwealth's case.

The circumstantial evidence was extensive, and came from Severance's own hand. In his voluminous writings, he glorified murder and justified revenge against those responsible for the kidnapping of a child.

One passage bluntly states: "received no satisfaction after revenge killing."

Firearms examiners said that the specific type of .22 caliber ammunition used in the three killings was rare, and that they had only seen it in three cases out of more than 15,000 in their careers. Severance wrote glowingly of the ammunition calling it "sweet music and very very effective." He had urged his girlfriend to buy the ammunition and a pair of .22-caliber revolvers. Severance himself was barred from buying firearms because of a previous felony conviction.

The trial was moved from Alexandria to Fairfax because of pretrial publicity in the city and because of widespread fear in the community caused by the slayings.