Arrests Made In Harvey Family Murders

Two men arrested earlier today in Pennsyvania are now considered linked to the Harvey family murder, too.

Richmond Police announced arrests in the murders of two different families in the last week. Two men, arrested in Philadelphia, are now charged in the murders of the Harvey family last weekend, as well as three members of a family Friday night.

In the latest murder, a family of three was found bound and slain in their home at 3408 East Broad Rock Boulevard around 7:30 PM Friday.   The victims have been identified as: Ashley Baskerville, 21; Mary Baskerville, 47; and Percyell Tucker, 55.

Early Saturday morning, two suspects were caught in Pennsylvania driving a car that belonged to the family. Now, police believe those two men may be responsible for their deaths. The suspects are in custody in Philadelphia for the murders: Ray Joseph Dandridge, 28 and Ricky Javon Gray, 28 of Arlington.

Richmond Police Chief Rodney Monroe says, “The house had been ransacked and numerous items appear to have been taken. At this time, we are classifying the motive as robbery.”

Police have charged the suspects with “one count each of auto theft and conspiracy to commit murder in connection with the Broad Rock murders.”

The suspects Dandrige and Gray are both being linked to the brutal murders of the Harvey family; Bryan, Katherine, Stella and Ruby. All four of the victims were also found bound with tape with possible cuts and trauma to their bodies at their home at 812 W. 31st Street on New Year's Day. Police charged Dandridge and Gray with four counts each of conspiracy to commit murder stemming from that case.

Right now, police say they are now looking at robbery as the motive for that killing as well. Earlier this week, police were pretty sure it was not a random killing -- now, Police Chief Monroe is saddened to say they are looking into that as a possibility.   

Comments

[curious_mom]

I hope and pray that these are the guys that are responsible for the Harvey murders. What I'm not happy about is why Richmond PD would tell everyone in the area that it was a random crime, and they shouldn't worry. I know PD didn't know everything they needed to know about the murders to have a suspect in mind, but to tell everybody it wasn't random, in my opinion, was very wrong. I wonder how many people actually believed this, and continued to leave their doors unlocked? If there had not been a break in the case, alot more lives could have been lost because of this.

Note to everybody who lives in an area that a heinous crime has happened. Lock your doors, no matter what PD are telling you!

[truthbetold]

what in the world would posess anyone to kill small children?

[abigail]

TBT--Evil would posess someone to kill anyone. Uhhggg.

[truthbetold]

TBT--Evil would posess someone to kill anyone. Uhhggg.

Posted by: abigail | Saturday, January 07, 2006 at 11:04 PM

I know but babies......I just don't understand - how can anyone take a little child and hurt them much less cut their throat? good lord - if you are going to rob someone take what you want and go you don't need to slaughter a whole family - these guys will be looking at the death penalty no doubt

[truthbetold]

Note to everybody who lives in an area that a heinous crime has happened. Lock your doors, no matter what PD are telling you!

Posted by: curious_mom | Saturday, January 07, 2006 at 10:08 PM

lock your doors anyways - common sense - I won't sleep without every single door and window locked

[abigail]

Note to everybody who lives in an area that a heinous crime has happened. Lock your doors, no matter what PD are telling you!

Posted by: curious_mom | Saturday, January 07, 2006 at 10:08 PM

That's good advise, but this was during daylight hours and they were expecting Stella home and having guests over later. They felt safe in thier home as I do in mine. I live 5 miles from thier home and when the dog gets let out in the morning until we go to bed the door is unlocked. People don't want to be prisoners at home, but I guess we just have to be not so trusting. I don't know, it's all just so hard to fathom.

[abigail]

I don't understand it either, and I'm hoping most people don't! It's sick and I'm sad about what possibly went on during the entire thing. It haunts me to think the parents had to watch thier kids get murdered and it kills me to think those babies had to watch thier parents get murdered. Sick, sick, sick people. Then on one of the guys prison online things he makes the claim that people make mistakes, blah, blah, blah. It seems like almost every convict is trying to convince people that they have changed. Maybe he did and then got out, found some crack, heroin or whatever. I don't know. I'd like to think someone not strung out would not do something like this, but it does not make it better and does not heal the family and friends of the Harvey's deaths. Who just walks into a freaking house during the day and does this? Perhaps the Perps figured people would still be asleep after new years eve? Dunno. We will just have to see what developes over the next week or so.

[mark]

let's hang these demonic rats tomorrow ..... i'm from philly and these 2 " african americans " are from the nastiest ghetto in west philly ..... better yet let's tie them to a chair and cut their throats ... eye for an eye .... death to all murderers , child killers and terrorists ...

[abigail]

What's up with the other guy. Have not heard anything on him other than what you just posted.

[cruious_mom]

"That's good advise, but this was during daylight hours and they were expecting Stella home and having guests over later. They felt safe in thier home as I do in mine."

I don't care where you live, or how safe you feel. In today's world, you should never feel too safe. Keep your car doors locked and for goodness sake, keep your home doors locked! I live in the country, very few neighboors and I know them all personally, but you can bet, even if I go into the back yard to hang out clothes, all my doors are locked except the door I came out of which I can see from the clothesline. My children have also been taught to do the same thing. One can never be to careful!

[k]

Hard to believe this is random...but I do think all three family murders may be connected through the suspects only...What in the world would bring those guys or any other suspect to Rhichmond on New Years Day for that matter? I will wait to see the connections and facts this seems too easy to charge these guys who are found in a stolen car that is linked to one family.

[raindrops]

VA isn't shy about seeking the death penalty for heinous crimes. I'd say these qualify. At least one of them did time in VA (according to news releases) so he wasn't new to the state. Maybe they had cased the neighborhoods previously - or perhaps they'd seen a story about the Harveys - he had been referenced in stories about the Richmond music scene over the years. Who knows? Maybe these two families were just incredibly unlucky. My daughter lives in Richmond. The randomness of it is terrifying to say the least.

[SarahW]

K, Dandridge and Gray were apprehended at the home of Dandridge's father, Ronald Wilson.

Wilson and his wife Virginia told reporters at the Richmond Times Dispatch "that until Friday afternoon, they hadn't seen Dandridge since he had left Christmas night to visit his mother and Gray in Virginia."

Ashley Baskerville, one of the persons Killed in the triple slaying at Broad Rock Road, was invovled with one of the killers romantically (I don't know which one) so she is an obvious reason for them to show up in Richmond.

Dandridge did his last prison term at the State Farm in Powhatan County (which is just outside the metro area, south and west of the City) and was released just this Novemember. If he transitioned out of jail, or was required to report to a probation officer in a nearby locality (I don't know if he was)he might have other links to the area or reason to be here.

[SarahW]

FWIW, a home invasion linked to the recently apprehended suspects (and an unknown woman, possibly Ashley Baskerville, the woman romantically linked to one of the men) took place on Jan 3 in Chesterfield county. That's an area between south Richmond and Powhatan.

[Doggy Dog]

VA executes more people per-capita than any other state in the country.* That doesn't seem to have deterred any murders in our state, especially in Richmond, now the 5th most dangerous city in the country. To those who think that more executions will provide justice, that's your opinion. But we should not pretend that "tough on crime" prevents further crimes. The sickness that spawned these murders had deeper causes, and we need to get serious about addressing those social ills BEFORE aweful acts like these.

[Doggy Dog]

VA executes more people per-capita than any other state in the country.*

*in states that have a population of more than 1 million

I forgot to add that footnote.

[lee]

You know I wonder.... Maybe one of the women were writing him in jail since they did mention that he had a penpal website set up looking for a soulmate. I'm thinking that could be a link between the murders because what other reason would it be for bringinr that up.

[abigail]

lee, apparently it has been established that Dandridge and Ashley met through that site. As far as Kathryn Harvey goes, I doubt it, but who knows, maybe she was trying to reach out to people who have had a "rough" life, but I can't see how she had time to be involved in something like that. If she had, then possibly it would have spared her life and her family's life, because if these guys would have known her huge heart then maybe they would not have done what they did to her and her family.

[Joe]

I hate guns and I have never owned one but after this crime that has happen in my city I will soon get a gun permit and purchase one, If only Mr or Mrs Harvey had access to a gun that day those animals would have died instead.