Here are the specifics of his employment timeline, according to CBS News. A spokesperson for the Virginia State Police said Edwards graduated from the academy as a trooper on Jan. 21, 2022. He was assigned to Henrico County and resigned on Oct. 28, 2022. He was reportedly still employed as a trooper when he applied to work at the sheriff’s office. He was hired by the sheriff’s office on Nov. 16, 2022, and was in orientation. So, put another way: He got this job nine days before allegedly killing three people and trying to flee with a teenager.
Even without all of this confusion about the suspect, this crime is both deeply disturbing and deeply sad. Edwards allegedly first met the teenage girl online, while she was living in California and he was across the country in Virginia. Edwards lied about his identity while they developed some sort of a relationship (hence the “catfishing”), per the Riverside Police Department.
Authorities think Edwards went to California on Friday, Nov. 25, 2022, and set the family house on fire, killing the teen’s mother and two grandparents. The specific cause of the fire and causes of death for the girl’s family have not been determined, but they’re considered homicide victims at this time. By the time the police and fire department arrived, the three adults—Mark Winek, Sharie Winek, and Brooke Winek—were found on the floor at the entryway of the home.
A neighbor told local outlet KABC that she had seen Edwards and the teen get into his car and noted the girl didn’t have shoes or pants on at the time. The neighbor was concerned for obvious reasons, including that the girl couldn’t seem to speak and appeared to be crying.
"She did seem and appear a little distressed,” the public information officer for the police department, Ryan Railsback, told the outlet. “So it was concerning enough to these people to call.”
Per CNN, police believe Edwards killed the three adults before setting the home on fire and taking the girl back to his car. Police have stated they do not believe the girl had any involvement in setting the house on fire or the murders. She is now in protective custody.
And Edwards? According to a press release from police, he and the girl were found several hours later while Edwards was driving. He was killed by deputies during a shootout with the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department.
“It is shocking and sad to the entire law enforcement community that such an evil and wicked person could infiltrate law enforcement while concealing his true identity as a computer predator and murderer,” Washington County Sheriff Blake Andis said in a statement. Andis added their “thoughts and prayers” are with the family, friends, and all affected by the “heinous crime.”
Here’s the thing. More than a little news coverage includes folks reminding us at home to be careful about online predators—don’t give away too much information, don’t tell people where you live, and so on. Obviously, this is good advice. But it feels like, yet again, people are reluctant to discuss the finding that police officers in the U.S. commit domestic violence at roughly 15 times the rate of the general population.
Mind you, it’s tough to get numbers on this for obvious reasons. But that’s a horrifying number as it is. Based on this data—which is admittedly drawn from a small sample size—about 40% of responding cops said they had participated in domestic violence in the previous year. In a related study, about 40% of cops admitted they had been violent with their spouse in the previous six months.
After sending love to victims and their loved ones in a statement, Riverside Police Chief Larry Gonzalez added in part: “This is yet another horrific reminder of the predators existing online who prey on our children. If you’ve already had a conversation with your kids on how to be safe online and on social media, have it again. If not, start it now to better protect them.”
While it’s, again, fair to remind young people (and really, people in general) to be careful what they share online, it’s not as though online safety was the only factor here. Not by a long shot.
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