News

Actions

Man charged in murder of Blackstone man, pregnant woman

Posted at 9:23 PM, Aug 31, 2012
and last updated 2012-08-31 22:13:50-04


RICHMOND, Va. (WTVR) – Virginia State Police said a Henrico County man already behind bars was charged Friday in connection with the July murder of a man and a pregnant woman in Blackstone, Virginia.

According to a news release late Friday, 33-year-old Clyde C. Armstrong, of the 2000 block of Cool Lane in Henrico County, was charged with six felonies Friday afternoon.

Those charges include two counts of first-degree murder, three counts of solicitation for hire to commit murder, and one count of first-degree murder for killing a fetus.

A concerned neighbor stumbled upon the bodies of 27-year-old Brian L. Jones and 21-year-old Jasmine L. Morrison, who was pregnant, on the Fourth of July.

Blackstone Police Chief Nick Kusmiak told CBS 6 Senior Reporter Wayne Covil in July that the couple, who had been shot, were targeted and that it was not a random shooting.

Kusmiak said the couple’s shooting death was the first double-homicide in the small town in a half-century.

The Virginia State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation Richmond Field Office joined Blackstone Police to aid in the investigation.

Armstrong, who was a person of interest in the homicides, was taken into custody that day without incident and charged with seven felonies, unrelated to the Blackstone homicides.  State police and U.S. Marshals had executed a search warrant on July 6 at his residence in Henrico County.

Police said Armstrong remains in Henrico County Jail and is being held without bond pending his arraignment on the additional charges in Nottoway County General District Court. He was already being held on the previous charges.

Authorities said these new charges stem from leads from community tips and evidence that were collected in connection with the murders.

Virginia State Police said their joint homicide investigation with the Blackstone Police Department is on-going.

RELATED:

Stay with CBS 6 News and WTVR.com for the latest updates on this story.