Augusta County: It was actually a murder-suicide, not a double homicide

The Augusta County Sheriff’s Office is now telling us that what was originally reported as a double homicide at a Verona home on Monday was actually a murder-suicide.

The evidence indicates that Alan Wayne Armentrout, 71, shot his wife, Sharon Clark Armentrout, 70, and then shot himself.

“This was an isolated domestic-related incident,” County Sheriff Donald L. Smith said, per a new release sent out by his office on Tuesday.

The rest of the release was an attempt by the sheriff’s office to explain why it had originally called the murder-suicide a double homicide, reporting that “during the early stages of an investigation, information is often limited in order to prevent the release of inaccurate or misleading details to the public.”

“Additionally, in incidents involving fatalities, the sheriff intentionally delays the release of information out of respect for the family, allowing them the opportunity to notify relatives and loved ones before information is publicly shared,” the release went on.

Which, fine – our supposition here was that it was a murder-suicide all along, but we had to go with what the sheriff’s office was saying, because they’re the official ones here.

The ACSO was between a rock and a hard place on this one. They had to report that something happened, but they also needed to be respectful of the situation in terms of the family, as was noted.

The result, of course, left some who didn’t read between the lines to think that there was a double-murderer on the loose, which was not the case – and which investigators had to know the moment they came upon the scene.

From the release:

“When there is ever an active threat to our community, or if neighboring residents should be concerned for their safety, we will always ensure information is relayed quickly through media outlets, social media platforms, and reverse 911 notifications.”

The release ended with another quote attributed to Smith:

“We are committed to keeping our community safe and will always take a proactive approach if the community is in danger,” Smith said.