GALAX, Va. (AP) - A man accused of fatally stabbing a woman and wounding her son in a “brutal” attack inside their North Carolina home has been arrested in Virginia.
Edward Eugene Snipes, 55, was taken into custody Monday in Galax, Virginia, about 143 miles (230 kilometers) northwest of the victims’ home in eastern Orange County, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.
Deputies said the son, Lakota Franklin, was able to escape and run to a neighbor’s home for help Sunday night after Snipes stabbed him several times. Emergency responders treated Franklin, 22, at the scene before he was transported to a hospital.
Authorities said Franklin then notified responders about his mother, Jennifer McFalls, who was back at the home. She was found dead in the entryway of the home with multiple stab wounds.
“This was a particularly brutal attack with obvious signs of a struggle,” Orange County Sheriff Charles Blackwood said.
Authorities said robbery appears to be the motive of the attack by Snipes, who was described as a longtime family acquaintance of the victims.
Snipes was convicted of second-degree murder in 2005 and released from prison last year, The News & Observer reported. It was not immediately clear if he has an attorney who could comment on his behalf.
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