Article

1984

Events that took place in Fairfax County in 1984:

• The South Lakes Village Shopping Center is built in Reston.

January

• January 10 - 29-year-old clerk Penelope A. Carlson is fatally beaten during a robbery at the 7-Eleven store where she worked at 2405 Fairhaven Avenue in Alexandria.^[1]

March

• March 8 – FBI agent Carl E. Swanson is shot in the butt while trying to arrest Arizona prison escapees Robert V. Latimer and Kenneth J. Lundien in the parking lot of Springfield Mall in Springfield.^[2][3]
• March 12 – The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors unanimously approves a new regulation that all newly hired public safety officers, including police officers, firefighters, and deputy sheriffs, must be nonsmokers and agree to remain nonsmokers throughout their employment.^[4]

April

• April 3 – 48-year-old Howard G. Kim uses a rifle to kill his 40-year-old wife Helen and sons John, 7, and David, 5, before committing suicide in the family home at 4012 Mapleton Drive in Chantilly.^[5][6]
• April 18 – 22-year-old Sandra D. Niccum and 38-year-old Donna P. Tehan are beaten to death by John C. Marteny at their home at 2619 Glengyle Drive in Vienna. Their bodies are discovered late the next day by Fairfax County Police.^[7][8]
• April 26 – 22-year-old Glen Darby is killed and his 21-year-old brother Gary is injured when a seven-foot deep trench collapses on the construction site of the Terra Grande development in Springfield. Darby is taken to Fairfax Hospital, where he is pronounced dead on arrival.^[9]

May

• May 10 – Circuit Court Judge Quinlan H. Hancock orders Educational Books, a pornographic book store on Richmond Highway near Fort Belvoir, to close because of the homosexual acts taking place in the private movie booths in the store.^[10][11]
• May 21 – 25-year-old Eva D. Smith is shot to death by her boyfriend, 35-year-old Charles R. Davis, Jr., in her apartment at 2789 Hollywood Road in the Wexford Manor Apartments in Falls Church.^[12][13]
• May 21 – Mount Vernon District Supervisor Sandra L. Duckworth announces her intention to resign from the Board of Supervisors to move to Hawaii, where her husband Donald had taken a position as the director of the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum.^[14]
• May 23 – 30-year-old Nancy Lee Kantarian stabs her daughter, 6-year-old Talia, to death in her Great Falls home, which she then sets on fire, causing her other daughter, 5-year-old Jamie, to burn to death.^[15][16]

June

• June 4 – The Vienna Town Council votes to oust Police Chief Zed L. Childress, giving him a day to resign before he will be fired, and demotes Deputy Chief Joseph Tavares from the rank of lieutenant to sergeant. Fairfax County Police Department Major Donald G. Harper becomes the town's acting chief.^[17]
• June 11 – 44-year-old Bennie B. Fortune fatally shoots 28-year-old Sally C. Foster, then kills himself in their apartment at 3178 Monticello Drive in Falls Church.^[18]
• June 12 – 40-year-old Cunningham Park Elementary School Principal Dumont J. Walker, Jr. and his secretary, 48-year-old Agnes H. Gaskins are killed by Arlington tow truck driver Christopher Gill when Gill crashes into Gaskins' car on Balls Hill Road in McLean.^[19]

July

• July 3 – During an outing at Bull Run Creek, 40-year-old Margaret A. Grimes and her sister, 35-year-old Wanda L. Myers, settle a dispute with 57-year-old John H. McCauley by fatally beating and stabbing him with a tire iron.^[20][21][22] The sisters then take McCauley on a drunken excursion through western Fairfax County before finally dumping his corpse in a ditch besides Braddock Road near the Loudoun County line.^[21][23]
• July 31 – 35-year-old Charles R. Davis, Jr. is convicted of murder for fatally shooting 25-year-old Eva D. Smith in her apartment at 2789 Hollywood Road in the Wexford Manor Apartments in Falls Church on May 21.^[24]

August

• August 12 – 30-year-old Heidi Berg is shot six times in the back as she jogs near the AAA Building at 8111 Gatehouse Road in Falls Church.^[25][26]
• August 13 – 25-year-old Charles W. Respass unintentionally kills his 20-year-old wife Diane and mortally injures 19-year-old Forest G. Wilson when he loses control of his car and crosses into the opposing lanes of Franconia Road near Inwood Drive in Springfield, crashing into another car. Wilson is taken to Fairfax Hospital, where he dies.^[27][28]
• August 29 – A 150-pound cylinder of poisonous chlorine gas at the water treatment plant at Camp 30 in Fairfax ruptures, injuring four people and causing the evacuation of more than 200 others, including the 55 prisoners held at the camp.^[29]

September

• September 8 – 26-year-old James E. Herbert is shot to death by Irving L. Scott in an apartment at 2239 Castle Rock Square in Reston to settle an argument over a gambling game.^[30]
• September 10 – The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors votes to withdraw Fairfax County Police Department and Fairfax County Sheriff's Office trainees from the regional Northern Virginia Criminal Justice Academy.^[31]

October

• October 5 – Fairfax Circuit Court Judge Barnard F. Jennings sentences Nancy L. Kantarian to 20 years in prison for killing her daughters on May 23, but suspends the sentence on the condition that Kantarian enter a mental hospital. During the sentencing, Judge Jennings tells Kantarian that "There is no need to punish you. You've been punished severely and will be for the rest of your life." He refrains, however, from patting Kantarian on the head and giving her a cookie.^[32]

November

• November 19 – The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors votes 7-1 to allow the Fairfax Hospital Corporation to move forward with its plans to construct a hospital in the Fair Oaks region of the county.^[33]
• November 19 – Helene M. Cassell becomes the first woman promoted to the rank of Captain in the Fairfax County Police Department. Cassell, a 38-year-old with 12 years in service to the department, is promoted in anticipation of becoming the commander of the Fair Oaks substation.^[34] Also promoted were John E. Granfield to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel to become the first deputy chief for operations, Michael Young and John Rob to major, and Luther Nossett, Jr. to captain.^[34]
• November 21 – 36-year-old Rosita A. Barker is mortally injured while crossing Elden Street in Herndon by Michael Capone when he strikes her with the pickup truck he is driving. Barker is taken by helicopter to Fairfax Hospital, where she dies early the next morning.^[35]

December

• December 3 – 26-year-old Arthur Moody is injured in a methane gas explosion at the Lorton Reformatory's Youth Center I.^[36]
• December 6 – 21-year-old Anthony Johnson is fatally injured in a second methane gas explosion at the Lorton Reformatory's Youth Center I. Johnson is taken to the Washington Hospital Center, where he dies on December 24. The 400 prisoners at the youth center are moved to other facilities at the prison.^[36][37]
• December 10 – 42-year-old Fairfax County Police Chief Carroll D. Buracker announces that he will retire in February, 1985.^[38]
• December 14 – 23-year-old James A. Gray fatally stabs 30-year-old Chester B. Clark in the chest with a steak knife in the parking lot of his apartment building at 9140 Richmond Highway in Fort Belvoir.^[39][40]

Crime

There were 13 murders in Fairfax County in 1984.^[41]

There were 24 bank robberies in Fairfax County in 1984.^[42]

References

1. ↑ Fishman, Charles. "Store Clerk in Fairfax Fatally Beaten in Holdup." The Washington Post (1974-Current file): 5. Jan 11 1984. ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The Washington Post (1877-1995). Web. 26 Aug. 2012.
2. ↑ Michnya, Rosa, and John Ward Anderson. "FBI Agent Shot Near Springfield Mall while Hunting Suspect." The Washington Post (1974-Current file): 2. Mar 09 1984. ProQuest. Web. 18 Aug. 2014.
3. ↑ Weil, Martin. "Man Wanted for Shooting at Springfield Mall Killed." The Washington Post (1974-Current file): 1. Apr 16 1984. ProQuest. Web. 18 Aug. 2014.
4. ↑ Fishman, Charles. "Fairfax Prohibits Hiring of Smokers in Safety Jobs." The Washington Post (1974-Current file): 2. Mar 13 1984. ProQuest. Web. 6 Apr. 2014.
5. ↑ Latimer, Leah Y., and Mary Battiata. "Couple, Two Sons found Shot to Death in Fairfax." The Washington Post (1974-Current file): 2. Apr 05 1984. ProQuest. Web. 16 Aug. 2016.
6. ↑ Battiata, Mary. "Korean's Futile Search for Self-Esteem Destroys Family, Life Built in U.S." The Washington Post (1974-Current file): 2. Apr 30 1984. ProQuest. Web. 16 Aug. 2016.
7. ↑ "Fairfax Women were Killed by Head Blows, Police Say." The Washington Post (1974-Current file): B5. ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The Washington Post (1877-1995). Apr 22 1984. Web. 2 June 2012.
8. ↑ Fishman, Charles. "Falls Church Man Convicted of Murdering 2 Women." The Washington Post (1974-Current file): 1. Sep 27 1984. ProQuest. Web. 14 Apr. 2017.
9. ↑ Fishman, Charles. "Virginia Man Dies, 15 Injured in Four Area Work-Site Accidents." The Washington Post (1974-Current file), Apr 27 1984, p. 1. ProQuest. Web. 25 Aug. 2018. Note: This report incorrectly gives Glen Darby's age as 26.
10. ↑ Fishman, Charles. "Sex Acts in Bookstore Lead to Closure Order." The Washington Post (1974-Current file): 1. May 11 1984. ProQuest. Web. 5 Aug. 2014.
11. ↑ Fishman, Charles. "Va. Adult Bookstore Fined $80,000 on Obscenity Counts." The Washington Post (1974-Current file): 1. May 17 1984. ProQuest. Web. 5 Aug. 2014.
12. ↑ "Fairfax Woman Fatally Shot; Warrant Issued for Boyfriend." The Washington Post (1974-Current file): 1. May 22 1984. ProQuest. Web. 27 July 2016.
13. ↑ "Fairfax Jury Convicts Caretaker of Fatally Shooting Woman Tenant." The Washington Post (1974-Current file): 1. Aug 01 1984. ProQuest. Web. 27 July 2016 .
14. ↑ Moore, Molly. "Duckworth Plans Resignation from Fairfax County Board." The Washington Post (1974-Current file): 2. May 22 1984. ProQuest. Web. 3 Aug. 2014.
15. ↑ "AROUND THE NATION; Virginia Woman Held in Her Daughter's Death." New York Times: A.14. National Newspapers Core. May 25 1984. Web. 11 Oct. 2011.
16. ↑ Flowers, Ronald B., and H. Loraine Flowers. Murders in the United States: Crimes, Killers and Victims of the Twentieth Century. Jefferson, NC: McFarland &, 2004. Print.
17. ↑ Hodge, Paul. "Police Chief Is Ousted In Vienna." The Washington Post. WP Company, 05 June 1984. Web. 26 Aug. 2017.
18. ↑ "Va. Man Kills Woman, Self." The Washington Post (1974-Current file): 1. Jun 12 1984. ProQuest. Web. 27 Dec. 2017 .
19. ↑ "Principal, Secretary Die in Auto Accident." The Washington Post (1974-Current file): 1. Jun 13 1984. ProQuest. Web. 20 Dec. 2017.
20. ↑ "Woman Charged with Murder After Body found in Chantilly." The Washington Post (1974-Current file): 1. Jul 05 1984. ProQuest. Web. 13 Aug. 2016.
21. ↑ ^{21.0 21.1} "Manassas Woman is Convicted of Murder." The Washington Post (1974-Current file): 1. Sep 14 1984. ProQuest. Web. 13 Aug. 2016.
22. ↑ "Manassas Woman, 41, Convicted in Tire-Iron Beating Death of Man." The Washington Post (1974-Current file): 1. Jan 19 1985. ProQuest. Web. 13 Aug. 2016 .
23. ↑ "Woman Charged in Murder." The Washington Post (1974-Current file): 1. Jul 07 1984. ProQuest. Web. 13 Aug. 2016 .
24. ↑ "Fairfax Jury Convicts Caretaker of Fatally Shooting Woman Tenant." The Washington Post (1974-Current file): 1. Aug 01 1984. ProQuest. Web. 27 July 2016.
25. ↑ "Crime Watch." The Washington Post (1974-Current file): VAA5. ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The Washington Post (1877-1994). Aug 23 1984. Web. 9 Nov. 2011.
26. ↑ Fishman, Charles . "3 Fairfax Deaths Unsolved at Year's End." The Washington Post (1974-Current file): B1. ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The Washington Post (1877-1994). Dec 31 1984. Web. 9 Nov. 2011.
27. ↑ "2 Killed, 5 Hurt in Wreck." The Washington Post (1974-Current file): 1. Aug 14 1984. ProQuest. Web. 24 Aug. 2016 .
28. ↑ "Crash Victim Identified." The Washington Post (1974-Current file): 1. Aug 15 1984. ProQuest. Web. 24 Aug. 2016 .
29. ↑ Fishman, Charles. "4 Hurt; 200 Flee Fairfax County Gas Leak." The Washington Post (1974-Current file): 1. Aug 30 1984. ProQuest. Web. 10 Aug. 2014.
30. ↑ "Herndon Man Killed, Suspect Held." The Washington Post (1974-Current file): B4. ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The Washington Post (1877-1995). Sep 09 1984. Web. 2 Mar. 2012.
31. ↑ Moore, Molly. "Fairfax Pullout Threatens Area Police Academy." The Washington Post (1974-Current file): 2. Sep 12 1984. ProQuest. Web. 17 Jan. 2014.
32. ↑ "Kantarian Sentenced to Mental Hospital Stay." The Washington Post (1974-Current file): C1. ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The Washington Post (1877-1994). Oct 06 1984. Web. 11 Oct. 2011.
33. ↑ Moore, Molly, and Priscilla Painton. "Hospital Plan Endorsed by Fairfax Supervisors." The Washington Post (1974-Current file): B3. ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The Washington Post (1877-1995). Nov 20 1984. Web. 5 Apr. 2012.
34. ↑ ^{34.0 34.1} Fishman, Charles. "Fairfax Police Get First Woman Captain." The Washington Post (1974-Current file): 1. Nov 20 1984. ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The Washington Post (1877-1995). Web. 1 Oct. 2012.
35. ↑ "Blind Woman, Dog Fatally Hit by Pick-Up Truck." The Washington Post (1974-Current file): 1. Nov 23 1984. ProQuest. Web. 16 Jan. 2014.
36. ↑ ^{36.0 36.1} Pianin, Eric, and John Ward Anderson. "400 Evacuated After Explosion in Lorton Dorm." The Washington Post (1974-Current file): 2. Dec 07 1984. ProQuest. Web. 24 May 2017.
37. ↑ "Lorton Burn Victim Dies." The Washington Post (1974-Current file): 1. Dec 26 1984. ProQuest. Web. 24 May 2017.
38. ↑ Hockstader, Lee. "County Police Chief to Retire." The Washington Post (1974-Current file): 2. Dec 11 1984. ProQuest. Web. 23 Jan. 2018.
39. ↑ "Fairfax Resident Held in Slaying of Manassas Man."The Washington Post (1974-Current file): 1. Dec 16 1984. ProQuest. Web. 26 Jan. 2017.
40. ↑ "Addenda." The Washington Post (1974-Current file): 1. Mar 23 1985. ProQuest. Web. 26 Jan. 2017.
41. ↑ Gaines-Carter, Patrice. "Serious Crime Up Slightly in Fairfax." The Washington Post (1974-Current file): 1. Feb 05 1985. ProQuest.Web. 21 Aug. 2016.
42. ↑ Wheeler, Linda. "D.C. Bank Robberies Fewest since 1970." The Washington Post (1974-Current file): 1. Jan 04 1986. ProQuest. Web. 18 Feb. 2014.

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Fairfax County by Year
1983	·	1984	·	1985

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