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Suspect in double murder in Isle of Wight “snapped,” court documents say

Posted at 12:16 PM, Sep 29, 2017
and last updated 2017-09-29 12:17:01-04

ISLE OF WIGHT, CO., Va. - Kareem Mitchell kicked in the door to the home of Nancy and Kenny Starnes and then saw Kenny reach for something, so he shot his gun and then saw Kenny fall back, according to the criminal complaint filed in General District Court.

Mitchell then "just panicked" and fired again, the court documents say. Next, Mitchell heard Nancy calling out and he went into her room. The complaint says Mitchell "snapped and fired once and then his finger was on the trigger and he fired a second time."

Deputies found 80-year-old Nancy Starnes and her 58-year-old son Kenneth shot dead inside their homeSaturday morning.

The documents shed light on the gruesome crime scene. Mitchell and another man, Richard Holmes, have been arrested and face several charges, including first degree murder.

On Friday, investigators released the 911 call from Starnes' grandson. He told a dispatcher that he was afraid to go in the house because the doors were kicked in, and it smelled. He didn't know what the smell was.

Sheriff Mark Marshall called the killings "gruesome" and "brutal". On Friday, investigators found the minivan belonging to Nancy in Portsmouth.

Court documents also say investigators found Mitchell hiding in a closet of his home "under a pile of clothes." Inside the home, they found several items from the Starnes' home, including a TV and a laptop, according to the court documents.

During an interview with an investigator, Richard Holmes said he was not the shooter, but when asked if he was in the house "he looks at the floor, shakes his head, and says yes," the investigator wrote.

Investigators say they also found a semi-automatic handgun in Mitchell's bedroom.

Click here for our full coverage on the double homicide of Nancy and Kenneth Starnes.