Two people have been taken into custody and charged in the killing of two others last week at a house in Mathews County, according to a press release posted on social media. The suspects — a man and a woman — came back a day after the killings in an attempt to burn the house down and destroy evidence, the Mathews County Sheriff’s Office said.
Carol Paul Cormier Jr., 33, from Mathews County, and Lacey Ann Horsley, 18, from Gloucester, were arrested over the weekend in Newport News by the city police department. The release did not provide the date of the arrests.
Cormier is facing two counts of second degree murder among several other charges. Horsley is facing two counts of acting as an accessory after the fact in the killings, as well as a conspiracy charge in the burning of the home.
At approximately 10 p.m. Friday, first responders were called to the 17000 block of John Clayton Memorial Highway, the sheriff’s office said, and found a residence on fire. A man and woman were found inside by firefighters and were declared dead by authorities.
The deceased were identified Sunday as Chad Wayne Ashford, 54, and Audrey Elaine Hudgins Mowrar, 56.
Ashford and Mowrar were shot and killed on Thursday, the press release stated. Cormier and Horsley fled the scene, the sheriff’s office said, but then both returned Friday with plans to burn the house down.
Additional evidence was located in Gloucester Point with help from a K9, Lycan, the sheriff’s office said.
Public assistance, digital evidence, and Flock License Plate Readers led investigators to Newport News.
Both suspects were being held without bond and have been transported to the Middle Peninsula Regional Security Center in Saluda.
Originally Published:
