Alleged Gang Members Arrested in Lansdowne Murder
Robbery was motive
Loudoun County Sheriff's Office
Darwin G. Bowman (left) and Anthony R. Roberts are being held without bond for the murder and attack of William Bennett.
Two men have been arrested and two more are being held in the murder and brutal attack of William Bennett of Lansdowne.
The suspects are allegedly members of -- or associated with -- an established criminal street gang, but the crimes against the Bennetts don't appear to be a part of a gang initiation or specific gang-ritual, the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office said.
"They [the Bennetts] were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time," Loudoun Sheriff Stephen O. Simpson said.
Two of the men -- Darwin G. Bowman, 18, of Annandale, VA, and an unidentified 17-year-old male from Sterling, VA -- have been charged with capital murder, a charge made in crimes that usually show motive. A third man, Anthony R. Roberts, 20, of Middleburg, VA, is currently being held on burglary charges; he is also expected to receive the same murder charge.
A fourth suspect, an unidentified 18-year-old man from Sterling, VA, is also being held in custody on unrelated charges.
The motive behind the March 22 attacks was robbery, according to officials. A white panel van seen in the area of the attacks was key to breaking the case; it had also been spotted during a gang-on-gang assault in Sterling on February 28.
All suspects are currently being held without bond.
Further charges for the attack of Cynthia Bennett, who remains hospitalized, are pending, as are more arrests.
