Roanoke man faces indictment for murder and arson in Bedford County case
Roanoke, Virginia – A resident of Roanoke has found himself facing the scrutiny of a grand jury following the grim discovery of a Pennsylvanian man’s body within a charred vehicle located in Bedford County last April.
As stated by Bedford County Commonwealth’s Attorney, Wes Nance, a Grand Jury convened on Wednesday to examine seven potential charges against the suspect, Joseph Walker.
Consequently, the assembly issued the following indictments against Walker:
- Aggravated Murder (Murder in the course of Robbery)
- Use of a Firearm during the act of Murder
- Robbery
- Use of Firearm in the course of Robbery
- Possession of a Firearm as a Convicted Felon
- Arson involving Personal Property
- Transportation, Concealment or Alteration of a Dead Body
Nance affirmed that Walker, following his arrest in Florida, is currently detained in Virginia after being extradited.
Nance also mentioned that Walker’s legal representative was “advised in advance that the indictments were forthcoming”, thus a trial date of December 11 has already been settled upon.
A chilling discovery was made on Tuesday, April 18, as law enforcement stumbled upon human remains within a charred vehicle on Sandy Level Road.
Further investigation during the week led the police to conclude that the victim had fallen victim to violent circumstances before the vehicle was set ablaze. The deceased was subsequently identified as Ethan Bert, a 20-year-old from York, Pennsylvania, as Nance disclosed.
As the week wore on, from Wednesday, April 19, and into the early hours of Thursday, April 20, investigators managed to amass enough evidence to charge the suspect, 29-year-old Joseph Richard Walker of Roanoke City, with second-degree murder.
This followed a search warrant executed at Walker’s residence, where additional evidence corroborating the violent confrontation was discovered, as previously reported by the Virginia State Police. Nance revealed that Walker was apprehended in Florida by local law enforcement, and it’s surmised that the victim and the suspect had some form of prior acquaintance.
