APPOMATTOX -
All of the victims of Tuesday's mass shooting in Appomattox County were transported to the State Medical Examiner's Office in Roanoke where cause of death will be determined.
39-year-old Christopher Speight was acquainted with the victims and he had lived at the residence where the murders took place. He co-owns the residence and owns land adjacent to the residence.
Speight is being held in the Blue Ridge Regional Jail in Lynchburg with no bond. No arraignment date has been set. Speight's motives remain under investigation.
State and local law enforcement are securing the area through the night and crime scene technicians will be back at the scene tomorrow for further processing.
As residents of Appomattox County try to absorb the devastation of eight deaths and a 20 hour manhunt, two pieces of information are surfacing about Christopher Speight, the alleged shooter.
Speight worked as a security guard at a Lynchburg convenience store on and off for five years. The owner of Sunshine Market, Connie Anderson, became friends with the Appomattox native. She describes Speight as a nice guy and as a loner.
Anderson feared however that Speight became irritated over several months after his sister and her family moved into his house.
Anderson commented, "I know Chris had been used to living on his own, and boom, there were all these people. From what my husband told me, Chris had felt more and more like they were trying to get him out of there. They wanted the house to themselves."
The Lynchburg business owner speculated that Speight had "psychologically snapped."
Several years prior to his time with Anderson, Speight worked at Charley's restaurant. Owner M.J. Pearson told CBS 6 she knew nothing about Speight's family life, but valued him as an employee. Pearson says, "He was a little different, but certainly not a mass murderer." She goes on to say, "I can't begin to explain or understand what happened to him. When I knew him, I enjoyed working with him."
Speight worked at Charley's as a bar back, a bus boy and a bouncer. All of his former co-workers spoke highly of his dedication to his work.
Some reports have offered conflicting information about Speight's possible military background, but Anderson tells CBS 6 she believes he spent some time in the Marines and says he was an expert marksman. The two even visited each others homes for target practice.
All of the people that spoke with CBS 6 about Speight Wednesday noted he loved guns, but never saw the potential for him to be involved in such a violent act.
State Police detail disposal of "multitude" of explosives found on suspect Christopher Speight's property.
State Police Sgt. Thomas Molnar said Wednesday afternoon that neighbors in the area of suspect Christopher Speight's Appomattox home should expect to hear detonations all afternoon as explosive devices found at his home are disposed of.
He said the series of explosions should end by nightfall and would likely resume tomorrow. He would not detail the type of explosive, nor why they may have been placed there. As far as the number of devices, Molnar said repeatedly only that there was "a multitude." Speight's home and property, however, remain an active crime scene, with seven bodies inside and out in the process of being removed. An eighth victim, a man, died on the way to the hospital.
Molnar did not say whether someone had "booby-trapped" the crime scene, although investigators had expressed concern earlier that the home may have been rigged with explosives. No device went off on its own.
Authorities still have not disclosed a possible motive for the eight killings. They also have not identified the victims.
According to his uncle in Tampa, Florida, Speight is a deer hunter. Investigators believe he had weapons training based on the weapons found in his home, but don't think he was ever in the military.
Authorities said he may have had a high powered rifle with him when he was hiding in the woods, but we don't know if that's the kind of weapon police believe was used in the shootings.
We did some digging in the records and found out that last year he filed paperwork for a renewal of a concealed weapons permit and it was approved. He also filed for permits in 2004 and 1999.
Investigators say he was acquainted with the victims and he had lived at the residence where the murders took place. He co-owns the house and the land adjacent to that residence.
We've also found out there is no significant record of him in the Appomattox County court system - just a speeding ticket from more than ten years ago.
39-year-old Christopher Speight was acquainted with the victims and he had lived at the residence where the murders took place. He co-owns the residence and owns land adjacent to the residence.
Speight is being held in the Blue Ridge Regional Jail in Lynchburg with no bond. No arraignment date has been set. Speight's motives remain under investigation.
State and local law enforcement are securing the area through the night and crime scene technicians will be back at the scene tomorrow for further processing.
As residents of Appomattox County try to absorb the devastation of eight deaths and a 20 hour manhunt, two pieces of information are surfacing about Christopher Speight, the alleged shooter.
Speight worked as a security guard at a Lynchburg convenience store on and off for five years. The owner of Sunshine Market, Connie Anderson, became friends with the Appomattox native. She describes Speight as a nice guy and as a loner.
Anderson feared however that Speight became irritated over several months after his sister and her family moved into his house.
Anderson commented, "I know Chris had been used to living on his own, and boom, there were all these people. From what my husband told me, Chris had felt more and more like they were trying to get him out of there. They wanted the house to themselves."
The Lynchburg business owner speculated that Speight had "psychologically snapped."
Several years prior to his time with Anderson, Speight worked at Charley's restaurant. Owner M.J. Pearson told CBS 6 she knew nothing about Speight's family life, but valued him as an employee. Pearson says, "He was a little different, but certainly not a mass murderer." She goes on to say, "I can't begin to explain or understand what happened to him. When I knew him, I enjoyed working with him."
Speight worked at Charley's as a bar back, a bus boy and a bouncer. All of his former co-workers spoke highly of his dedication to his work.
Some reports have offered conflicting information about Speight's possible military background, but Anderson tells CBS 6 she believes he spent some time in the Marines and says he was an expert marksman. The two even visited each others homes for target practice.
All of the people that spoke with CBS 6 about Speight Wednesday noted he loved guns, but never saw the potential for him to be involved in such a violent act.
State Police detail disposal of "multitude" of explosives found on suspect Christopher Speight's property.
State Police Sgt. Thomas Molnar said Wednesday afternoon that neighbors in the area of suspect Christopher Speight's Appomattox home should expect to hear detonations all afternoon as explosive devices found at his home are disposed of.
He said the series of explosions should end by nightfall and would likely resume tomorrow. He would not detail the type of explosive, nor why they may have been placed there. As far as the number of devices, Molnar said repeatedly only that there was "a multitude." Speight's home and property, however, remain an active crime scene, with seven bodies inside and out in the process of being removed. An eighth victim, a man, died on the way to the hospital.
Molnar did not say whether someone had "booby-trapped" the crime scene, although investigators had expressed concern earlier that the home may have been rigged with explosives. No device went off on its own.
Authorities still have not disclosed a possible motive for the eight killings. They also have not identified the victims.
According to his uncle in Tampa, Florida, Speight is a deer hunter. Investigators believe he had weapons training based on the weapons found in his home, but don't think he was ever in the military.
Authorities said he may have had a high powered rifle with him when he was hiding in the woods, but we don't know if that's the kind of weapon police believe was used in the shootings.
We did some digging in the records and found out that last year he filed paperwork for a renewal of a concealed weapons permit and it was approved. He also filed for permits in 2004 and 1999.
Investigators say he was acquainted with the victims and he had lived at the residence where the murders took place. He co-owns the house and the land adjacent to that residence.
We've also found out there is no significant record of him in the Appomattox County court system - just a speeding ticket from more than ten years ago.
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