Article

1970

Events that took place in Fairfax County in 1970:

January

• January 4 – 54-year-old Walena Pawley is burned to death in a fire at her home at 7625 Trammell Road in Annandale.^[1]
• January 10 – 49-year-old William P. Sikes shoots his 53-year-old wife Mary in the head with a .38 caliber revolver when she turns off the TV set he is watching at their home at 6819 Jackson Avenue in Falls Church. Mary dies of her wound several hours later.^[2][3]
• January 13 – 12-year-old Steven C. Bailey hangs himself in the basement of his home at 6809 Hayfield Road in Alexandria.^[4][5]
• January 27 – Five cars of the Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad's Gulf Coast Special train derail and plunge down a 60-foot embankment about a half-mile west of South Van Dorn Street near Alexandria, killing 67-year-old Clara Fleming, 58-year-old Eva King Witherspoon and 56-year-old Elina McCray, and injuring 51 other passengers.^[6][7][8]
• January 31 – 12-year-old Perry Ritter drowns in the indoor swimming pool at the Dyer family home at 905 Frome Lane in McLean.^[9]

February

• February 2 – Off-duty Fairfax County Police Corporal Carroll D. Buracker mortally injures 72-year-old Daniel Gonzales as Buracker drives on route 50 in the Seven Corners area of Falls Church. Gonzales, who was visiting his daughter in the area, stepped from a median and in front of Buracker's personal vehicle. Gonzales was taken to Fairfax Hospital, where he died about 2½ hours later.^[10]
• February 4 – 61-year-old John H. Lightfoot and his 54-year-old wife Helen are killed by carbon monoxide poisoning caused by a faulty gas heater in their home at 811 Leigh Mill Road in Great Falls. The couple's corpses are discovered the next morning when a friend stops by to give Helen a ride to work.^[11][12]
• February 8 – The sewage treatment plant in the City of Fairfax is closed and its output redirected to the county's Pohick Treatment Plant.^[13]
• February 10 – 17-year-old Fort Hunt High School junior Charles D. Fanning challenges a group of other youths to a game of Russian roulette, then fatally shoots himself in the mouth with his father's .32 caliber revolver at his home at 7916 New Market Road in Alexandria.^[14]
• February 11 – The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors adopts an ordinance requiring all utility distribution lines, such as electrical and telephone cables, serving new residential and commercial developments must be installed underground.^[15]
• February 19 – Frederick C. Wininger is found guilty of first-degree murder by Judge Albert V. Bryan, Jr. in Fairfax Circuit Court for the June, 1969 shooting of George C. Crown during a robbery.^[16]

March

• March 5 – James D. Grimes and Charles E. Mitchell drown 43-year-old Christopher Lawson, Jr. in the Cub Run, then steal his car. Lawson's corpse is discovered two days later, on March 7.^[17][18]
• March 10 – Shortly after being dropped off at the intersection of Little River Turnpike and the Shirley Highway by his adoptive father, 18-year-old Paul S. Jones swings back by the family house at 4617 Brookside Drive in Lincolnia, ties up his 58-year-old adoptive mother Ethel, then stabs her 32 times.^[19][20]
• March 26 – Two members of the Saints motorcycle enthusiasts club, 21-year-old Lewis T. Hartless and 19-year-old Richard Newland, are murdered in a wooded area in McLean by Francis A. Akers, Bradley Hinckley, and James Cole, members of the rival Pagan's motorcycle enthusiasts club.^[21][22][23]

April

• April 1 – While flying from Washington National Airport to Manassas, 27-year-old Navy Lieutenant John P. Reynolds, Jr. is killed when his Cessna 150H encounters bad weather and crashes in Burke.^[24][25]
• April 5 – While high on LSD and drunk on beer, 19-year-old Mitchell L. Simon and two teen aged accomplices decide it would be a good idea to set a fire that ultimately destroys the cafeteria of the Lorton Elementary School. The fire was not reported until 11:56 PM that night and required the efforts of 64 firemen from eight separate companies to bring it under control. The damage at the time was estimated at $275,000.^[26][27]
• April 6 – 11-year-old Pamela G. Marshall is stabbed to death by her 15-year-old neighbor when she surprises him burgling her apartment at 7316 Lee Highway in Falls Church.^[28]

May

• May 23 – The golf course at Burke Lake Park is dedicated and opened for public play.^[29]

June

• June 14 – Fairfax County Park Authority director James D. Bell orders the closure of Lake Accotink to boating and fishing because of pollution, which is primarily caused by the discharge of human shit and other sewage into Accotink Creek by a treatment plant in Fairfax City.^[30]
• June 15 – After less than a year in the job, 44-year-old Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Lawrence M. Watts dies of a heart attack suffered while working in the garden of his home in Oakton.^[31]
• June 18 – The Fairfax County School Board names Assistant Superintendent S. Barry Morris as acting superintendent.^[32]
• June 25 – 36-year-old Henry S. Robinson is sentenced to 25 years in prison by Judge Barnard F. Jennings for the murder of Ethel J. Marsh in Alexandria on September 29, 1969.^[33][34]

July

• July 5 – 30-year-old Leonard F. Bernard drowns in the Hunters Woods Pool in Reston.^[35]
• July 9 – 15-year-old Mark W. Tucker fatally shoots his parents, 39-year-old Donald and 38-year-old Mary, in the family home at 3522 Goodview Court in Fairfax.^[36][37]
• July 15 – 10-year-old Patricia A. Moore disappears when she leaves her Clifton home to go out to play.^[38]

August

• August 1 – 66-year-old security guard Okey C. Blagg is beaten and shot to death at the Northern Virginia Steel Company at 7398 Reservoir Road in Springfield when he surprises brothers Wilbur and Charles Johnson burgling a trailer on the site.^[39][40][41]

September

• September 10 – Motorcycle enthusiast Francis A. Akers pleads guilty before Judge Albert V. Bryan to fatally shooting two members of another motorcycle enthusiast club, 21-year-old Lewis T. Hartless and 19-year-old Richard Newland, in Tysons Corner on March 26.^[42]
• September 22 – 23-year-old Diane Bagley is struck by a car and mortally injured as she crosses Richmond Highway in Alexandria. Bagley is taken to the Alexandria Hospital, where she dies.^[43]
• September 23 – The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors appoints George J. Kelley, Jr. as Fairfax County Executive to replace the retiring Carlton C. Massey.^[44]
• September 23 – The Fairfax County School Board appoints Spear J. Davis as the new superintendent of the Fairfax County Public Schools system.^[45]

October

• October 4 – 24-year-old Jerome Wilson, Jr. is shot and mortally wounded by his wife, 21-year-old Joan D. Wilson, as they sit in her 1965 Corvair in the parking lot of the Luther Jackson Intermediate School in Falls Church. He then wrestles the .22 caliber revolver away from her and shoots her to death. Jerome Wilson is taken to the Fairfax Hospital, where he dies early the next morning.^[46]
• October 10 – Two hunters find the partially disarticulated skeleton of Patricia A. Moore in Woodbridge.^[38]
• October 12 – 18-year-old William G. Psimas shoots and mortally wounds 13-year-old newspaper carrier Todd K. McKinney outside Psimas' home at 5000 Kingston Drive in Annandale when Psimas mistakes McKinney for a prowler tampering with his 1963 Mercury Comet. The injured McKinney collapses in the driveway of nearby 4920 Kingston Drive and dies of his wounds.^[47]
• October 19 – 50-year-old William P. Sikes is convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced by Judge James Keith to 25 years in prison for fatally shooting his 53-year-old wife Mary at their home at 6819 Jackson Avenue in Falls Church on January 10.^[48][49]
• October 26 – Michael W. Straight and his former wife, Dr. Belinda Crompton Straight, give Green Spring Farm to Fairfax County for use as a museum. The farm will form the core of the Green Spring Gardens park in Alexandria.^[50]

November

• November 16 – Two cars belonging to Jefferson High School assistant principal Glenn J. Muhle are firebombed in the driveway of his Springfield home.^[51]
• November 25 – Judge Albert V. Bryan, Jr. invalidates the county's recent 10% tax on admissions to entertainments, including movie theaters, as violating the Virginia Constitution.^[52]

December

• December 9 – 27-year-old motorcycle enthusiast Ronald W. Pryor is convicted of abduction and second-degree murder for the LSD-inspired killing of 22-year-old Marine Corporal Walley L. Gaddis, Jr. in Lorton on May 29, 1969.^[53]
• December 10 – 22-year-old Carson Kennedy is fatally wounded when he is shot in the throat with a .38 caliber revolver during a dispute with 35-year-old Estel E. Rohrbaugh at the ARCO gas station at the intersection of Route 1 and Gunston Road in Lorton. Kennedy is taken to the DeWitt Army Hospital on Fort Belvoir, where he is pronounced dead about an hour later.^[54]
• December 21 – 19-year-old Intesar A. Amra is shot to death in Centreville. Her body is found a few hours later in a clearing under some power lines about 25 feet away from Pleasant Valley Road by passerby Harold Seal.^[55]
• December 23 – Columnist David Lawrence donates a large tract of land from the estate of his late wife, Ellanor C. Lawrence, to Fairfax County for use as a public park. The tract, located in the western part of the county and about a square mile in size, will become the core of the Ellanor C. Lawrence Park.^[56]
• December 27 – 50-year-old convicted murderer William P. Sikes asphyxiates himself with gas in the laundry at the Fairfax County Jail.^[57][58]
• December 29 – 63-year-old Amos C. Seal, Jr. is killed in the garage of the Schultz Construction Company at 564 Spring Street in Herndon when the fan blade of a pickup truck's radiator breaks and strikes him in the throat. Seal is taken to Fairfax Hospital, where he is pronounced dead.^[59][60]

Demographics

The population of Fairfax County in 1970 was 454,275.^[61]

Crime

There were 17 murders and other homicides in Fairfax County in 1970.

References

1. ↑ "Fire Kills Woman, 54. in Fairfax." The Washington Post, Times Herald (1959-1973): 16. Jan 05 1970. ProQuest. Web. 26 Apr. 2014.
2. ↑ "Man Is Charged In Wife's Slaying" Evening Star, 13 Jan. 1970, Three Star NIGHT FINAL, p. 42. NewsBank. Accessed 15 Jan. 2018.
3. ↑ Bredemeier, Kenneth. "Mate Sentenced in Wife's Death." The Washington Post, Times Herald (1959-1973): 1. Oct 20 1970. ProQuest. Web. 15 Jan. 2018.
4. ↑ "Boy found Hanged in Basement." The Washington Post, Times Herald (1959-1973): 1. Jan 15 1970. ProQuest. Web. 15 Jan. 2018.
5. ↑ "Fairfax Boy, 12, Is Found Hanged In His Basement."Evening Star, 15 Jan. 1970, Three Star NIGHT FINAL, p. 25. NewsBank. Accessed 15 Jan. 2018.
6. ↑ "3 Killed in Train Accident." The Washington Post, Times Herald (1959-1973): 2. Jan 27 1970. ProQuest. Web. 21 Feb. 2017.
7. ↑ Bredemeier, Kenneth, and Gordon Pettey. "Track Slippage Blamed." The Washington Post, Times Herald (1959-1973): 2. Jan 28 1970. ProQuest. Web. 21 Feb. 2017.
8. ↑ "Train Derailment Dead Identified"Evening Star, 29 Jan. 1970, Three Star NIGHT FINAL, p. 20. NewsBank. Accessed 29 Aug. 2018.
9. ↑ "Falls Church Boy, 12, Drowns in Indoor Pool." The Washington Post, Times Herald (1959-1973): 1. Feb 01 1970. ProQuest. Web. 17 Jan. 2017.
10. ↑ "Car Kills Visitor on Route 50." The Washington Post, Times Herald (1959-1973): 1. Feb 04 1970. ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The Washington Post (1877-1995). Web. 1 Oct. 2012
11. ↑ "Man and Wife Found Dead In Great Falls"Evening Star, 5 Feb. 1970, Three Star NIGHT FINAL, p. 17. NewsBank. Accessed 15 Sep. 2017.
12. ↑ "McLean Couple Dies; Heater Suspected." The Washington Post, Times Herald (1959-1973): 1. Feb 06 1970. ProQuest. Web. 15 Sep. 2017.
13. ↑ Bredemeier, Kenneth. "Fairfax Lake Held Still Too Polluted." The Washington Post, Times Herald (1959-1973): 1. Jun 19 1971. ProQuest. Web. 8 Apr. 2014.
14. ↑ "'Russian Roulette' Kills Fairfax County Youth, 17." The Washington Post, Times Herald (1959-1973): 1. Feb 12 1970. ProQuest. Web. 2 Aug. 2014.
15. ↑ Pettey, Gordon. "Buried Utility Lines Decreed in Fairfax." The Washington Post, Times Herald (1959-1973): 1. Feb 12 1970. ProQuest. Web. 21 Dec. 2017.
16. ↑ Bredemeier, Kenneth. "Man Guilty in Slaying of AID Official." The Washington Post, Times Herald (1959-1973): B7. ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The Washington Post (1877-1994). Feb 20 1970. Web. 3 Feb. 2012.
17. ↑ "Suspect in Murder Arrested." The Washington Post, Times Herald (1959-1973): 1. Nov 28 1970. ProQuest. Web. 11 Jan. 2018.
18. ↑ "Arlington Police Jail Man Sought In March Slaying." Evening Star, 29 Nov. 1970, Four Star, p. 28. NewsBank. Accessed 11 Jan. 2018.
19. ↑ Bredemeier, Kenneth. "Stab Victim found Near Home in Va."The Washington Post, Times Herald (1959-1973): 2. Mar 14 1970. ProQuest.Web. 24 July 2016.
20. ↑ Whitaker, Joseph D. "Convicted of Slaying Mother, Youth Sentenced to 50 Years." The Washington Post, Times Herald (1959-1973): 1. Sep 18 1971. ProQuest. Web. 24 July 2016.
21. ↑ Bredemeier, Kenneth. "2 Cyclists Murdered in Fairfax." The Washington Post, Times Herald (1959-1973): 2. Apr 10 1970. ProQuest. Web. 24 Mar. 2014.
22. ↑ Curry, William N. "'Pagan' Pleads Guilty in Fairfax Dual Murder." The Washington Post, Times Herald (1959-1973): 2. Sep 11 1970. ProQuest. Web. 24 Mar. 2014>
23. ↑ "Two Cyclists Plead Guilty to Slaying." The Washington Post, Times Herald (1959-1973): 1. Oct 14 1970. ProQuest. Web. 24 Mar. 2014.
24. ↑ "Fairfax Air Crash Kills Arlington Man." The Washington Post, Times Herald (1959-1973): 1. Apr 03 1970. ProQuest. Web. 14 Aug. 2014.
25. ↑ "Report Filed in Plane Death." The Washington Post, Times Herald (1959-1973): 1. Jun 20 1971. ProQuest. Web. 14 Aug. 2014.
26. ↑ Bredemeier, Kenneth. "3 Arrested in $300,000 School Fire." The Washington Post, Times Herald (1959-1973): 1. Apr 07 1970. ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The Washington Post (1877-1996). Web. 5 Jan. 2013.
27. ↑ "School Vandals Took Drugs." The Washington Post, Times Herald (1959-1973): 1. Apr 16 1970. ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The Washington Post (1877-1996). Web. 5 Jan. 2013.
28. ↑ Bredemeier, Kenneth. "Youth, 15, Ordered Held by State for Slaying of Fairfax County Girl." The Washington Post, Times Herald (1959-1973): 1. Jul 18 1970. ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The Washington Post (1877-1996). Web. 23 Nov. 2012.
29. ↑ "Fairfax Opens Par-3 Course at Burke Lake." The Washington Post, Times Herald (1959-1973): 1. May 23 1970. ProQuest. Web. 14 Aug. 2014.
30. ↑ "Polluted Lake Accotink Closed by Park Head." The Washington Post, Times Herald (1959-1973): 1. Jun 15 1970. ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The Washington Post (1877-1996). Web. 29 Dec. 2012.
31. ↑ "Fairfax Schools Chief Lawrence Watts, 44, Dies." The Washington Post, Times Herald (1959-1973): 1. Jun 16 1970. ProQuest. Web. 4 Oct. 2014.
32. ↑ Bredemeier, Kenneth. "Fairfax Names Morris Acting Chief of Schools." The Washington Post, Times Herald (1959-1973): 1. Jun 20 1970. ProQuest. Web. 4 Oct. 2014.
33. ↑ Bredemeier, Kenneth. "Fairfax Mother of 4 Killed; Accused Slayer Shoots Self." The Washington Post, Times Herald (1959-1973): 1. Sep 30 1969. ProQuest. Web. 2 June 2014.
34. ↑ "Fairfax Man found Guilty of Murder." The Washington Post, Times Herald (1959-1973): 1. Jun 26 1970. ProQuest. Web. 2 June 2014.
35. ↑ "Swimmers Find Friend's Body In Reston Pool" Evening Star, 6 Jul. 1970, Three Star NIGHT FINAL, p. 23. NewsBank, . Accessed 28 Aug. 2018.
36. ↑ Curry, William N., and Renee D. Chotiner "Fairfax Youth Held in Killing of His Parents." The Washington Post, Times Herald (1959-1973): A1. ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The Washington Post (1877-1994). Jul 10 1970. Web. 19 Dec. 2011.
37. ↑ "Slaying Suspect, 15, due Trial as Adult." The Washington Post, Times Herald (1959-1973): A1. ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The Washington Post (1877-1994). Jul 11 1970. Web. 19 Dec. 2011.
38. ↑ ^{38.0 38.1} Curry, William N. "Clifton Girl's Death Listed as Murder." The Washington Post, Times Herald (1959-1973): C1. ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The Washington Post (1877-1994). Oct 12 1970. Web. 16 Oct. 2011
39. ↑ Curry, William N. "Guard Killed at Plant." The Washington Post, Times Herald (1959-1973): 1. Aug 02 1970. ProQuest. Web. 27 Jan. 2018.
40. ↑ "Three Inditced [sic] in Slaying of Guard."Evening Star, 18 May 1971, Four Star NIGHT FINAL, p. 31. NewsBank. Accessed 27 Jan. 2018.
41. ↑ "McLean Man Convicted In Plant Guard's Slaying." Evening Star, 1 Oct. 1971, Four Star NIGHT FINAL, p. 45. NewsBank. Accessed 27 Jan. 2018.
42. ↑ Curry, William N. "'Pagan' Pleads Guilty in Fairfax Dual Murder." The Washington Post, Times Herald (1959-1973): 2. Sep 11 1970. ProQuest. Web. 7 Feb. 2014.
43. ↑ "Car Strikes, Kills Woman on Highway." The Washington Post, Times Herald (1959-1973): 1. Sep 23 1970. ProQuest. Web. 12 Sep. 2014.
44. ↑ Curry, William N. "Ex-Deputy Promoted by County." The Washington Post, Times Herald (1959-1973): 2. Sep 24 1970. ProQuest. Web. 13 Dec. 2013 .
45. ↑ "System Gets Local Man, Spear Davis." The Washington Post, Times Herald (1959-1973): 2. Sep 24 1970. ProQuest. Web. 7 May 2014.
46. ↑ Bredemeier, Kenneth. "Man, Wife Shoot each Other Dead." The Washington Post, Times Herald (1959-1973): C1. ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The Washington Post (1877-1995). Oct 06 1970. Web. 16 Mar. 2012.
47. ↑ Bredemeier, Kenneth. "Newspaper Carrier Slain in Fairfax." The Washington Post, Times Herald (1959-1973): 2. Oct 13 1970. ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The Washington Post (1877-1995). Web. 23 Oct. 2012.
48. ↑ Bredemeier, Kenneth. "Mate Sentenced in Wife's Death." The Washington Post, Times Herald (1959-1973): 1. Oct 20 1970. ProQuest. Web. 15 Jan. 2018.
49. ↑ Taylor, Walter. "Man Is Given 25 Years In Slaying of His Wife." Evening Star, 20 Oct. 1970, Three Star NIGHT FINAL, p. 19. NewsBank. Accessed 15 Jan. 2018.
50. ↑ Bredemeier, Kenneth. "Fairfax Given Historic Farm." The Washington Post, Times Herald (1959-1973): C2. ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The Washington Post (1877-1994). Oct 27 1970. Web. 12 Jan. 2012.
51. ↑ "Educator's Cars Burned in Fairfax." The Washington Post, Times Herald (1959-1973): 1. Nov 17 1970. ProQuest. Web. 7 June 2017.
52. ↑ Bredemeier, Kenneth. "Judge Invalidates Fairfax County Tax." The Washington Post, Times Herald (1959-1973): 1. Nov 26 1970. ProQuest. Web. 2 Aug. 2014.
53. ↑ Curry, William N. "'LSD Tripper' Guilty in Marine's Death." The Washington Post, Times Herald (1959-1973): 1. Dec 10 1970. ProQuest.Web. 24 Aug. 2016 .
54. ↑ "Fairfax Man Shot Dead at Gas Station." The Washington Post, Times Herald (1959-1973): 1. Dec 12 1970. ProQuest. Web. 1 Jan. 2018.
55. ↑ Bredemeier, Kenneth. "Jordanian Woman found Slain Near Road in Fairfax." The Washington Post, Times Herald (1959-1973): 1. Dec 22 1970. ProQuest. Web. 30 Apr. 2014.
56. ↑ Bredemeier, Kenneth. "Fairfax Gets Gift of Land." The Washington Post, Times Herald (1959-1973): D1. ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The Washington Post (1877-1995). Dec 24 1970. Web. 23 Feb. 2012.
57. ↑ "Man Who Killed Wife Commits Suicide in Jail" Evening Star, 28 Dec. 1970, Three Star NIGHT FINAL, p. 23. NewsBank. Accessed 15 Jan. 2018.
58. ↑ Ringle, Ken. "Slayer of Wife Kills Self." The Washington Post, Times Herald (1959-1973): 1. Dec 29 1970. ProQuest. Web. 15 Jan. 2018.
59. ↑ "Mishap Kills Truck Repairer." The Washington Post, Times Herald (1959-1973): 1. Dec 31 1970. ProQuest. Web. 17 Jan. 2018.
60. ↑ "Broken Fan Blade Fatally Strikes Herndon Worker" Evening Star, 31 Dec. 1970, Three Star NIGHT FINAL, p. 21. NewsBank. Accessed 17 Jan. 2018.
61. ↑ "Economic and Demographic Information" Homepage - Fairfax County, Virginia. Fairfax County. Web. 16 Oct. 2011.

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Fairfax County by Year
1969	·	1970	·	1971

Fractured Fairfax is Copyright © 2011 – 2017 by Chuck Hoffmann