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10 Facts About Brutal The Farmville Murders

Sadly, in September 2009, brutal murders incident were reported in Farmville.  This tranquil small town called  Farmville is found around 60 miles west of Richmond, Virginia.

A local church minister, a local college professor, and two teenage girls were the victims of these brutal murders. The four victims were  Debra S. Kelley ( professor) Mark Niederbrock ( Minister), their daughter Emma Niederbrock and her friend Melanie Wells.

The murders happened at Dr. Debra Kelley鈥檚 residence, where Kelley and her daughter Emma Niederbrock resided. On September 18, 2009, just after 3 p.m., the remains were discovered. Unbelievably, a hammer and maul were been used to murder the victims.

Richard Samuel 鈥淪yko Sam鈥� McCroskey was ultimately identified as the murderer by police. McCroskey was a disturbed aspiring rapper with whom Emma Niederbrock had an online acquaintance.

Richard, a.k.a. Syko Sam, thought he was dating Emma, but when he met her, he understood that his sentiments weren鈥檛 shared. Instead of leaving, he chose to ruthlessly murder everyone who was residing in the house, including Emma.

Here are the 10 facts about  the killings of the four in Farmville;

1. Emma and The Killer Met Online

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Emma Niederbrock had an internet relationship with disturbed aspiring rapper Richard Samuel McCroskey. Interestingly, Emma was regarded as an intelligent young lady who quit attending public schools in Middle school to pursue her education at home.

In today鈥檚 world, it is common for people to meet online.  Emma and Richard met online, a Myspace account. Before the physical meeting, the two had an extended internet dating relationship.

Her final posts at Myspace included a few remarks about waiting for McCroskey. Together, they were visibly delighted, which was terrible considering the homicidal rampage that followed.

2. The Victims and the Killer had Attended a Horrorcore Concert the week before the Murders

The police reported that Emma’s parents took Emma, her friend, and the alleged boyfriend to a horrorcore concert. This was a week before the brutal killings. The event was identified as the Strictly for the Wicked Festival which took place in Michigan.

3. Three Victims were Murdered while Asleep

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After the concert, Emma鈥檚 mother invited her daughters鈥� friend to stay at her home. Unfortunately, she was not aware that she was inviting a Killer to her house.  

Sadly, Richard killed the three victims while they were asleep. He forcefully struck the sleeping heads of Emma, Melanie Wells, and  Debra Kelly in the early hours of September 15, 2009.

It said that he first killed Melanie who was lying on a sofa in the first-floor den. Kelley was next, and Emma was killed in her downstairs bedroom. He used the maul to repeatedly strike each victim.

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4. Emma’s Father  was Brutally Killed when he Arrived to Check on the Others

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After Richard killed the three victims, he dared to stay with the bodies in the house for three days. On September 17 around 5 pm, Emma鈥檚 father went to check them. This was after receiving calls from Melanie鈥檚 family to check on them as no one had here from the three females.

Unfortunately, he met his death on arrival at the house. McCroskey fatally assaulted him with the maul in the living room, moved Mark and Wells鈥� bodies into Emma鈥檚 room, and made an effort to clean up the gory scene.

5. After the Killing McCroskey used a Digital Camera to Record a Video of Himself

After the killing of the four victims, the killer is said to have recorded a video while in the house where the incident took place. In the video, he claimed that he was aware of what he did and he had to pay for his actions. Moreover, he considered killing himself on the recording.

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6. The Murderer Stayed in the House with the Dead for Days

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The Melanie Wells family never heard back from Emma鈥檚 father after he assured them of passing by the house and checking on them. Richard McCroskey had told Melanie Wells鈥� mother various accounts each time she had called the Kelley residence and spoken with McCroskey.

 Thus, Melanie Wells鈥� mother contacted the police and begged them to check on her daughter before they learned of the deaths. The police finally arrived at the Kelley residence. The Killer answered the door and claimed that Wells had gone on a movie date with a friend. When Wells鈥� mother called once again after the cops had accepted the narrative, they went back to the house and discovered the bodies.

7. McCroskey Stole and Wrecked Mark Niederbrock鈥檚 2000 Honda

When the police discovered the bodies of the victims, the killer had escaped. He fled using Emma鈥檚 father’s car. During his escape, he was summoned by a deputy for driving without a license. The deputy was not aware of the murders thus not arresting him.

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8. The killer鈥檚 Odor made Witnesses Utterly Repulsed

The Killer abandoned Emma鈥檚 father’s car and requested a taxi to drop him at the Richmond International Airport. The taxi driver said that the Killer had an awful smell and he drove while the taxi鈥漵 windows were open.

Similar opinions were given by others who came into contact with McCroskey during his effort to flee.  The murderer hadn鈥檛 showered or changed o his clothes since the murder incident. Witnesses described his clothing as caked in blood.

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9. McCroskey鈥檚 Anger over his Failing Relationship with Emma was the Motive for the Killings

The killings were the result of McCroskey鈥檚 rage over his deteriorating relationship with Emma. He was also frustrated with the texts she sent while they were in Michigan. This was according to James Ennis, the Commonwealth鈥檚 Attorney for Prince Edward County.

McCroskey became extremely upset about the relationship after the four made it back to Virginia. He had expected that they will be seeing one other regularly and was dissatisfied with how things were developing.

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10. McCroskey Received a Life Sentence in Prison

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After he escaped from where the incident of the murder took place, McCroskey was found by the authorities sleeping in the baggage claim area at Richmond International Airport. The Killer was arrested and charged with six counts of first-degree murder, with an additional two counts added because of the severe cruelty involved.

McCroskey was described by his sister as a shy and modest youngster with low self-esteem. On his MySpace profile, McCroskey posted songs he had written with graphic content about death, mutilation, and the joy of murder.

The killings in Farmville were brutal. Authorities at the scene of the crime described it as “a slaughterhouse.”While some were eager to place the blame for the horrible acts on the music and the performers, others claim that McCroskey alone was responsible for the crimes, and no one else.