Two men charged in deaths of seven

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RICHMOND (AP) -- Police captured two men in Pennsylvania yesterday and charged them in the slayings of seven persons from two separate attacks on Richmond families.

Police Chief Rodney D. Monroe identified the suspects as Ray Joseph Dandridge and Ricky Gavon Gray, both 28. He said they were charged with conspiracy to commit murder and auto theft.

The charges stem from the killing Friday night of Percyell Tucker, 55, Mary Baskerville, 47, and her 21-year-old daughter, Ashley Baskerville. The victims were found bound with duct tape and their house was ransacked.

Mr. Dandridge and Mr. Gray also were charged in the New Year's Day slaying of Bryan Harvey, 49, his wife, Kathryn, 39, and their two daughters, Stella, 9, and Ruby, 4.

The killings Friday brought the city's 2006 homicide total to nine and marked the third multiple-victim homicide in Richmond this year.

Chief Monroe said the investigation into Friday night's homicide led police to Mr. Dandridge and Mr. Gray and that investigators found evidence linking them to the Harvey slayings. He declined to give specifics.

Police said robbery may have been the motive in the cases.

The victims were found Friday in their East Broad Rock Boulevard home shortly after 7:30 p.m., when police received a call about a disturbance at the house.

The suspects were found in a white Cadillac that was taken from the victims' house, Chief Monroe said. He also said the suspects had ties to the Philadelphia area, but gave no further details.

Chief Monroe said it was not clear how the victims died, but they did not appear to have been shot. He also said one or more of the victims appeared to have known the attacker or attackers.

On New Year's Day, Mr. Harvey, a popular Richmond musician, and his family members were found with their throats cut in their south Richmond home.

That same day, police found Lewis Aaron Casper and his 17-year-old daughter, Roicana, fatally shot in their home in the Bellemeade section of the city. No arrests have been made in that case.