Crime & Safety

John Wesley Jeffries Could Face Death Penalty

The Fredericksburg resident was indicted Monday on 12 felony counts related to February's double homicide in The Plains.

A Fauquier County Circuit Court grand jury Monday indicted John Wesley Jeffries on 12 felony counts. Five of those charges carry with them the death penalty, according to Code of Virginia.

The charges stem from the double homicide of Nelson Slack, 80, and Ethel Slack, 74. The couple was found dead in their home Feb. 24 at 7282 Bunker Hill Road. 

Jeffries was arrested in Fredericksburg on Feb. 27. Fauquier Now reported on the indictment. 

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The grand jury indicted Jeffries on:

  • Two counts of capital murder/abduction
  • Two counts of capital murder/robbery
  • Capital/double murder
  • Two counts of abduction
  • Two counts of strangulation
  • Two counts of robbery
  • One count of cocaine possession

Jeffries was also indicted in Fredericksburg on Monday related to the February 23 home-invasion robbery in the 200 block of Morningside Dr. He was indicted on charges of breaking and entering, assault and battery and grand larceny, Fredericksburg City Police spokesperson Natatia Bledsoe told Patch.

Find out what's happening in Fredericksburgwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

He is also being held on . The hearings on those charges are April 1 and April 3.

Jeffries is registered in Virginia as a violent sex offender.

Relevant state codes: Capital murder defined, punishment and punishment for felony convictions.

Related Stories:

Sheriff's Office: Charges Against Jeffries Expected (March 15, 2013)

Jeffries Held on Outstanding Felony Arrest Warrants (Feb. 28, 2013)

John Wesley Jeffries Apprehended in Connection with Double Homicide (Feb. 27, 2013)

(Feb. 25, 2013)

Double Homicide Investigation: Police Searching for John Wesley Jeffries (Feb. 25, 2013)


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