Accused Murderer Charles Severance Delivered to Alexandria Detention Center

Accused murderer Charles Severance was booked into the William G. Truesdale Adult Detention Center Monday afternoon, according to a news release from the Alexandria Sheriff’s Office.

Investigators have charged Severance in the homicides of three City of Alexandria residents — Ruthanne Lodato, Ron Kirby and Nancy Dunning — each victim killed as they answered their front door, their homes just blocks apart.

Severance, who most recently lived in Loudoun County, is scheduled for a video hearing in Alexandria General District Court, 520 King Street, at 9 a.m. on Tuesday.

Since March, Severance has been held in Loudoun County on weapons charges. On Monday morning, the charges were dropped by Loudoun County prosecutors “with prejudice,” meaning they could be brought back at a later date.

Severance, 53, was arrested in March at a public library in Wheeling, W.Va., on a warrant for a weapons offense at his Loudoun County home.

Before he was charged in the murders, he remained a “person of interest” in the slayings, primarily due to his resemblance to a police sketch of the suspect and stories of Severance’s eccentric past as a political candidate in Alexandria.

Dunning, a real estate agent, was killed in 2003. Last November, the victim was Kirby, a regional transportation planner.

Lodato’s death in February led police to consider a link. Investigators found common markings on bullet fragments in all three shootings.

For a brief time, residents were warned not to answer the door to strangers, prior to the capture of Severance.

Severance has been indicted on the following charges:

• Nancy Dunning Case: First Degree Murder and Use of a Firearm in the Commission of a Felony
• Ron Kirby Case: Capital Murder, Use of a Firearm in the Commission of a Felony, Possession of a Firearm by a Felon
• Ruthanne Lodato Case: Capital Murder, two counts of Use of a Firearm in the Commission of a Felony, Possession of a Firearm by a Felon, and Malicious Wounding

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This has been a complex and time-consuming investigation that has spanned almost 11 years, the police department noted in a news release. The Alexandria Police Department thanked the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Virginia State Police, and area law enforcement agencies for their assistance.

Watch a video here of Alexandria Police Chief Earl Cook’s Monday afternoon news conference.

Also read:

• Alexandria Resident Ruthanne Lodato Killed in Shooting Thursday
• Shooting Victim Ruthanne Lodato was Mother of 3, Music Teacher
• Ruthanne Lodato Homicide: Alexandria Police Chief, Mayor Attempt to Reassure Community
• Alexandria Police Release Sketch of Suspected Shooter in Lodato Murder
• Police Restrict Access to Streets Around Shooting
• Ruthanne Lodato Funeral: Hundreds Gather to Say Goodbye
• Police to Hold News Conference on Lodato Homicide Investigation
• VIDEO: Alexandria Police Chief Doesn’t Rule Out Serial Killer
• What Ties Lodato Homicide to Other Victims?
• Prosecutor: Man Wanted for Questioning in Alexandria Slayings ‘A Danger’; 2 Guns Missing
• Public Defender Says Charles Severance Being Held on ‘Sham’ Charges
• Gov. McAuliffe Signs Extradition Order for ‘Person of Interest’ in Alexandria Killings
• Prosecutor: Charles Severance Served With Extradition Warrant
• Charles Severance’s Attorney Asks to Delay Extradition Hearing to April 24
• FBI, Police Search Water for Evidence in Connection with Three Alexandria Homicides
• Woman Reportedly Purchased Guns for Severance; Public Defender, Again, Asks for His Release Under ‘Sham’ Charges
• Charles Severance, ‘Person of Interest’ in Alexandria Shootings, Due in Court
• Judge: Severance Must Return to Virginia
• Charles Severance Set to Be Extradited to Virginia
• Charles Severance Transported Monday to Loudoun County Adult Detention Center

PHOTO: Charles Severance photo taken Monday afternoon by Alexandria Sheriff’s Office