Posted on 08/11/2025 12:12:43 PM PDT by nickcarraway
Country music artist Spencer Hatcher, his father Michael Hatcher, and Rockingham County Sheriff Bryan Hutcheson addressed the violent murder of Spencer's mother, Holly Hatcher, a beloved teacher and the death of the man responsible for the crime.
In a joint video statement, Hutcheson and the Hatcher family shared a timeline of events leading up to the violent attack that claimed the life of 62-year-old Holly, and left her 65-year-old husband, Michael, injured.
The suspect, identified as Kevin Moses Walker, 41, of Pikesville, Maryland, was killed during the incident after Michael Hatcher retrieved a handgun from his vehicle and fired a single shot to stop the attack.
"This is a highly unusual, apparently completely random [attack] with an individual with no known history of violent behavior of any kind, or even criminal behavior of any kind," Sheriff Hutcheson said.
According to the investigation, Walker rented a campsite at Endless Caverns, in New Market, Virginia, on August 1 at 2:22 p.m. and took a tour of the caverns at 3 p.m.
Later that day, at 5:24 p.m., he purchased a sleeping bag and a large knife at the Timberville Walmart, about seven miles from the caverns.
The following morning, Virginia State Police responded to a report of an abandoned vehicle on Endless Caverns Road.
They discovered the store at Endless Caverns had been broken into, with damage consistent with being rammed by a vehicle.
Authorities determined Walker had entered both the store and the caverns, though nothing was stolen.
Despite efforts to locate Walker using patrol vehicles and a drone, he wasn't found.
Felony warrants were obtained for him at that time.
"There was no indication of any violence or potential for any violence from the offender that the Virginia State Police became aware of throughout that investigation," Hutcheson said.
The next call authorities received was at 11:58 p.m. on Sunday, August 3, when Michael Hatcher reported the home invasion.
Deputies found him outside his residence with visible injuries. Walker was found deceased in the driveway, and Holly Hatcher was discovered inside the home with fatal stab wounds.
"There's going to be questions that will never be answered, but all I can tell you is we've cried, we've hurt, and we've hugged, and we have found more love than we have ever known has existed between us, and between you," Michael Hatcher said in the staement.
Spencer Hatcher, the couple's son, emphasized that the family wanted to address only confirmed facts amid speculation about the incident.
Sheriff Hutcheson, who has known the Hatcher family for years, noted that Holly was a beloved teacher who had taught his own son.
"I've been in law enforcement for 31 years and I have never seen anything like this in my entire career," Hutcheson said.
The sheriff confirmed that no charges will be filed in the case since the offender is deceased, but the investigation remains active.
Michael Hatcher expressed gratitude for the community's support and praised the Rockingham County Sheriff's Office for their assistance during this difficult time.
"You have made it much more bearable through your outpouring of love and your caring and your kindness and support to all of us," he said.
Leaving your weapon in your car is not too bright, for may reasons, but in this case you would have had it and saved her life.
Kevin Moses Walker...once again, one of them.
Rest in peace to this poor woman and prayers for the family.
“This is a highly unusual, apparently completely random [attack] with an individual with no known history of violent behavior of any kind, or even criminal behavior of any kind,” Sheriff Hutcheson said.
“Gee, I wonder what smoking bath salts is like?”
Sudden Jihad Syndrome, or just a random Wilding?
There is a very wide information gap involved with the investigation of this killing. Saying it was random makes no sense. Did the killer know who his victim was? Why was she chosen? How did the killer know where to find her? She was a teacher but what is the killer’s background? It’s all being covered up, and the statements from law enforcement just seem to be deflecting reasonable questions from being asked. On the basis of the killer being deceased. If the ethnicities were reversed we would be looking at a race riot. As usual, when it’s a Black on White, there’s nothing ever to see there. So just keep moving along, folks. We don’t even know how old the killer was. Maybe his parents should be held partly liable for his actions? Maybe a brother or a sister? Or a daughter or a son? Virginia. Stinks to high heaven.
I wouldn’t be surprised if this story quickly disappears. Social media, background, etc deleted.
Nothing to see here, move along please.
Thought so...
Watch Mr. Hatcher’s career skyrocket now.
If you live close to black areas, move. If not, this could happen to you.
Don’t live near blacks, period.
What do you mean, “there’s nothing to see there?”
Man kills woman. They identified the man and the woman and reported the story.
The murderer was an adult, and doesn’t appear to have a record with any violent crime arrests, unlike most murderers.
There doesn’t seem to be any conspiracy but there is an ongoing investigation, presumably for a motive or to collect info in case there is a match with any unsolved investigations.
lots of odd things in this story.
I wonder the distance from where Walker abandoned his car near endless caverns, to the house where the woman died.
they don’t give a time of Aug 2 morning when the call came in about the abandoned car, but it seems many hours until late that night when the husband called in about his wife and Walker being dead, after Walker’s home invasion.
How did the guy invade? unlocked door? seems must have been silent if Walker got inside and harmed people before they were aware of him.seems Walker still had the knife. husband had to go out to car for gun, left wife alone inside? was she already dead when he went out for gun?
correction: police got call aug 2 morning and invasion happened late aug 3. so again I wonder how far did Walker wander, or not, in more than a day of no longer having his car. did he still have his campsite?
I guess they will figure out what they think is important and unfortunately none of it will bring back the woman nor any sort of justice for killing her.
The country is sorta stabby right now.
This is Rockingham County in the Shenandoah Valley, not a black area .... vast majority white, country folk. The perp came from MD which while next door to VA, is not next door to Rockingham County. This just goes to remind us all, this could happen to you anywhere. Another point from this event: I personally do not keep my ‘self defense’ in my vehicle when I am in my house.
The racial makeup of Rockingham County, Virginia, based on the most recent data, shows that the largest racial group is White, comprising approximately 85.1% to 88.1% of the population.
The next largest group is Hispanic or Latino, making up about 8.4% to 9.5% of the population.
Black or African American residents account for roughly 2.1% to 2.3% of the population, while Asian residents make up about 1.1%.
The population also includes smaller percentages of individuals identifying as Native American (0.1%), Pacific Islander (0.1%), and those of two or more races (5.8% to 8.47%).
I say “random” as in the killer probably did not know hs victims. Random, as in Black dude dives 300 miles to attack two elderly White folks, NO.
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