FINCASTLE, Va. — A 53-year-old Virginia man conspired to have his 97-year-old grandmother killed in a murder-for-hire plot, according to police, with the alleged hitman being indicted this week and the mastermind taking his own life earlier this year.
On April 25, deputies responded to a home on Blue Ridge Turnpike after receiving a report of an unresponsive elderly woman. The victim, later identified as Catherine Graff, was pronounced dead at the scene. An autopsy conducted by the Medical Examiner’s Office in Roanoke ruled her death a homicide, sparking an investigation by the Botetourt County Sheriff’s Office.
Detectives uncovered evidence linking Graff’s grandson, James W. Hopper of Fincastle, to the crime, alleging he hired Steven R. Fowler, 30, of Salem, to carry out the killing. Hopper, who was identified as the mastermind of the plot, died by suicide on May 2 as the investigation progressed, police said.
Fowler has been in custody since April 26 and was formally indicted on December 3 for aggravated murder for hire. He remains held without bond at the Botetourt-Craig Regional Jail.
“I want to commend our detectives for their tireless efforts in uncovering the truth behind this tragic case,” Sheriff Matthew Ward said in a statement. “Justice doesn’t take a day off, and neither do we.”
The indictment has brought a new chapter to the investigation, with Fowler now facing trial for his alleged role in Graff’s death.