News
One family prepares for service
Man's sister says community has shown them much kindness
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Published: April 27, 2008
Judy McCurdy spent much of yesterday in tears as she sorted through the belongings in her brother's house.
Her brother, Bob Denning, 64, was killed Thursday in his home on Jonestown Road.
Anne Magness, 77, a Meals on Wheels volunteer who was delivering lunch to Denning, was also killed. Her husband, Bill, 78, was shot and is recovering in the hospital.
"It's the most hideous thing you could ever imagine happen to a family member. The first two days, I was in shock," McCurdy said. "Today has been a weepy day."
McCurdy, of Chapel Hill, and three other family members put furniture back in place, cleaned and threw out perishables so that the house would be in order when Denning's adult children arrive from out of state Tuesday to attend a memorial service at Pine Grove United Methodist Church.
The church is across the road from Denning's house. Church members there would check in on Denning and trim his bushes, McCurdy said.
The inside of the house was not as bad as she had feared, she said.
McCurdy said she was her brother's "long-distance caregiver," visiting him every two to three months. He suffered a stroke about five years ago that paralyzed the left side of his body. McCurdy said that Denning was beginning to get some mobility back in his arm and was looking forward to planting a garden this year.
"He wanted me to till the ground for him," she said.
Virginia State Police arrested Timothy Hartford Jr., 38, and Ashley Smith, 26, on Friday. Hartford and Smith, who had a Kernersville address, were charged with two counts each of first-degree murder and one count each of first-degree attempted murder in connection with the deaths and shooting.
Police said that the couple led police on a chase that ended at MacArthur Center mall in Norfolk, where police used road spikes to puncture their SUV's tires. That began a five-hour standoff that ended after the couple agreed to trade their 1-month-old baby for a Coca-Cola. The couple surrendered before the trade was made, police said.
The child, also named Timothy Hartford, is in the custody of child protective services in Norfolk.
Capt. David Clayton of the Winston-Salem Police Department said yesterday that police are waiting for an extradition hearing to take place in Virginia.
"This will have to play out in courts on a weekday," he said.
McCurdy said she was relieved to hear of the couple's arrest.
"I'm just so glad they were caught," she said.
Bill Magness was in good condition Thursday night at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center. Family and friends said Friday that he was improving.
The Magnesses moved to Clemmons from New Jersey in the early 1990s. They had been volunteers at Meals on Wheels for eight years.
McCurdy said she has been moved by the support from Denning's neighbors and friends and police.
"There has been a great outpouring of kindness from people in the area," she said.
■ Lisa O'Donnell can be reached at 727-7420 or at lodonnell@wsjournal.com.
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