For Some, Arrests in Slaying Bring Relief

In Lansdowne, Hopes for Normalcy

By Jonathan Mummolo (Contact)

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Wendy Marco said it had been five weeks since her children had slept through the night.

But on Sunday, the day after the news broke that authorities had charged two people in the beating death of William Bennett, which happened up the street from her house, Marco said she saw a welcome return of normalcy to the Lansdowne neighborhood: children playing, giggling, running up and down the block, and her daughters Cierra, 10, and Kylie, 7, running a lemonade stand with some friends.

A cloud of fear had been lifted, she said, and the sun was shining.

"How do you convince your kids that their home is safe and there are no monsters when this happens here?" Marco asked. "This street has been like a ghost town, and [Sunday] afternoon, every kid on the block was outside doing something. . . . The announcement of the arrests, in an instant, changed our lives."

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Sheriff Announces Charges in Lansdowne Murder Case

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Darwin G. Bowman, 18, of Annandale was charged with capital murder in the March 22, 2009, homicide of William Bennett of Lansdowne. (Courtesy of the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office)

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Anthony R. Roberts, 20, of Middleburg is currently being held on charges surrounding the burglary of Loudoun Guns on April 15, in Leesburg, March burglaries of three Middleburg stores and in connection to the March 22 homicide of William Bennett of Lansdowne. (Courtesy of the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office)

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William and Cynthia Bennett were victims of an attack in Lansdowne early Sunday morning that left William, 57, dead, and his wife, Cynthia, 55, with severe injuries. The couple, who lived in the Potomac Station community in Leesburg, was found along Riverside Parkway near Rocky Creek drive. (Courtesy of the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office)

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The walking trail along the road where the victims of Sunday morning's attack in Lansdowne had gone for a morning walk. William Bennett, 57, was found slain on the side of the road and his wife, Cynthia Bennett, 55, remains in critical condition. This section of fence was removed as evidence after it led to the discovery of Cynthia Bennett when officials noticed that it had blood on it. (Jonathan Mummolo)

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The scene at Rocky Creek Drive in Lansdowne after William Bennett, 57, was found dead and his wife, Cynthia Bennett, 55, severely injured. (Erica Garman)

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Teresa Battistelli, 25, of the Cascades, gets teary-eyed during a vigil held in response to a recent homicide. Locals walked in the pre-dawn darkness to the scene where William Bennett was beaten to death in the early hours in Landsdowne. (Dayna Smith)

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In response to a recent homicide in Lansdowne, locals walked in the pre-dawn darkness to the scene where William Bennett was beaten to death and his wife was severely injured. (Dayna Smith)

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Tracy Hoviena, from Cascades, sheds tears during Sunday morning's vigil. In response to a recent homicide locals walked in the pre-dawn darkness to the scene where William Bennett was beaten to death in the early hours in Landsdowne. (Dayna Smith)

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In response to a recent homicide in Lansdowne, locals walked in the pre-dawn Sunday darkness to the scene where William Bennett was beaten to death in the early hours. (Dayna Smith)

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Bennett, 57, a retired Army officer, and his wife Cynthia, 55, director of procurement for the Architect of the Capitol, were attacked about 5:30 a.m. March 22 near Riverside Parkway and Rocky Creek Drive while out for a stroll. Bennett died of apparent blunt force trauma, officials said, and his wife was critically injured.

On Saturday, authorities announced they had charged Darwin G. Bowman, 18, of Annandale and a 17-year-old male from Sterling with Bennett's killing. Two others are being investigated in the beating, authorities said: Anthony R. Roberts, 20, of Middleburg is in custody on charges of burglarizing a gun store April 15, and an unidentified 18-year-old male is being held on unrelated charges.

Authorities said that the suspects are members of a gang or associated with one, but that they think the attack was a random "robbery gone bad," not a gang ritual or initiation.

Loudoun Sheriff Stephen O. Simpson said the Bennetts were in the "wrong place at the wrong time." He said it was "kind of strange" that a couple out walking would be picked for a robbery, because most people don't carry valuables while exercising. However, he added, he knows of cases elsewhere in the region in which people were killed over "the change in their pockets."

Simpson said that a white van allegedly used in the attack was recovered Thursday night at a Sterling residence, and that it belongs to a family member of a suspect who has yet to be charged. He said that the suspects have been "less than cooperative" in interviews, but that he is confident that Roberts and the unnamed 18-year-old will be charged in connection with the crime.

Not all residents are as comforted as Marco by the latest developments. Some said that although they welcomed the announcement of arrests, the revelation that the attack was random has left them thinking they could just as easily have been the victims. Several said the incident was a "wake-up call" that crime can happen anywhere.

"I'm scared," said Madhu Dhillon, 68, who has lived in Lansdowne for over four years.

She said she has stopped taking her evening walks with her grandchildren since the attack and doesn't plan on starting them again soon. She uses a treadmill instead.

Stefania Peterson, who lives near the site of the attack, said news that the incident was random has left her concerned for her daughters' safety. She worries that other members of the gang — which authorities have not named — will return to the area.

"Did they catch everybody?" Peterson asked. "Do they have . . . strong proof they did it? . . . You still have questions. Nothing is really for sure, why they did it. I would like more details, so I can rest."

Residents will have a chance to ask such questions at a community meeting at 7 p.m. today at Lansdowne's National Conference Center, which the sheriff, members of the sheriff's Gang Intelligence Unit and other officials will attend. However, in a statement advertising the event, officials stressed that "information discussed at the meeting will be limited, as to not jeopardize future prosecution of the case."

A similar community meeting days after the attack drew nearly 1,000 people.

Sheriff's spokesman Kraig Troxell said that although certain details of the case can't be discussed, today's event is meant to be educational. Members of the gang unit will discuss gang activity in the county, and other speakers will give tips on personal safety and security of businesses and homes.

Marco's home already is feeling more secure, she said, and her children are just as grateful as she is. She said her daughters have decided to donate their cut of the lemonade stand money — $26.50 — to the county's DARE program, which helps children avoid involvement in drugs and gangs.

Tagged: crime, Lansdowne, Loudoun Sheriff's Office, police

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