Allegedly  killed Rushmere residents during burglary

By Elizabeth Pattman

Staff writer

Accused Rushmere double homicide suspects Kareem Mitchell and Richard Alexander Holmes, along with their co-defendant Sharon Galvin, were indicted by a grand jury in Isle of Wight County Circuit Court on May 11.

Mitchell and Holmes are charged in the murders of Nancy and Kenneth Starnes in their Ennisdale Drive home last September.

Mitchell faces two counts of first degree murder, two counts of use of a firearm to commit a felony, as well as of armed burglary, grand larceny and possession of a gun by a convicted felon. Holmes faces the same two first degree murder charges, two counts of use of a firearm to commit a felony and one count of armed burglary and grand larceny. {mprestriction ids=”1,2,3,4,5,6″}

The third co-defendant in the case, Sharon Galvin, is charged with possession of and intent to sell stolen property and obstruction. A juvenile who was living in her home at the time was also charged with similar crimes.

The indictment certifies that enough evidence was presented to bring the case to court.

Mitchell will now face arraignment in Circuit Court on May 30, while Holmes will face the same on June 6. Galvin’s arraignment will be held on June 13.

Mitchell plans to plead guilty to first-degree murder and other charges in exchange for the Commonwealth not to seek the death penalty, according to his attorney Jennifer Stanton. 

Last year, Isle of Wight County Sheriff’s investigator Donald Edwards described finding the Starneses deceased in their respective bedrooms, while the rest of the house was in disarray. Kitchen cabinets and dresser drawers were flung open, items were strewn about and it appeared as if other large items were missing from the various rooms in the house, he said. The wood casing around the front door showed signs of forced entry, as it was broken in pieces on the floor, he said. The gun case in the home was also empty, according to Edwards.

Days later, Edwards was called to 14333 Stonehouse Lane where Mitchell, Holmes and Galvin were said to reside. During that visit an item reported missing from a previous burglary was found and identified by that former victim. Further searches of the home revealed property taken from the Starnes residence, which led to the suspects’ arrests.

Mitchell later provided investigators with a detailed account of the events that led up to the Starneses murder. In the statement, the suspect said he “just panicked” and fired his gun.   {/mprestriction}