Cold Case Murders: Janice Garrison

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Updated: 11:56 AM Feb 8, 2012 Cold Case Murders: Janice Garrison Janice Garrison was murdered in her own backyard in 1997. Her killer was never convicted. The unsolved murder is one of only three cold cases in Albemarle County. Posted: 10:30 PM Feb 7, 2012 Reporter: Carter Johnson Email Address: carter.johnson@newsplex.com

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February 7, 2012

Fourteen years after his wife was murdered in their own backyard, Hugh Garrison is still seeking justice for his wife's killer. Janice Garrison was 50 years old when she was shot in the head by an unknown person on Nov. 29, 1997.

"She was abruptly taken away from me. She didn't get to live but half of her life the way I look at it," said Janice's husband.

On the night of her death, Garrison says he and his wife heard shots in the woods close to their home. He went outside to investigate and his wife followed.

“I didn't even know she'd come out there and she was laying in the ground, they'd done shot her in the head," he said, recalling the events that unfolded.

Garrison says the shooting was obvious and deliberate, but police have been unable to prove that, making it one of three open cold cases in Albemarle County.

"I recall road blocks from a couple of the roads in that area being set up immediately,” said Albemarle Police Capt. Shawn Schwertfeger. “It was to no avail, we didn't come up with any information there. We didn't really know a motive."

However, there are clues and a person of interest. In 1998, Glen Scott Snow, was arrested for possession of a firearm after being a convicted felon. He admitted to hunting in the area that day, but he was never charged with murder. Officials say there was not enough evidence to convict him.

“This case has never gone to trial,” said Sgt. Darrell Byers with the Albemarle County Police Department. "But I believe that there are potential witness statements out there that could turn this case around."

Byers says a volunteer with their police services program is dedicated to working cold cases. They do have suspects and witnesses involved in this case, and he described it as an open investigation. Capt. Schwertfeger adds pieces of the puzzle remain missing.

"Someone knows something. If that someone can come forward with that piece of information, that's key number one," he said.

Garrison holds onto that hope, that someone will come forward, confess what they know and convict his wife's killer. "Until he pays for what he done, I will have no closure," he said.

New technology would help crack the case, but these cases do get harder to solve with time.

Latest Comments

Posted by: shame on Feb 8, 2012 at 02:39 PM

They must have compared the bullet that killed her to the weapon the hunter was using? If not, why not? Do they think it was some other trigger happy "hunter" who shoots without actually seeing a target and knowing whats behind it?

Posted by: Explain next time on Feb 8, 2012 at 11:15 AM

Three cold cases right now in Albemarle County? Wishful thinking on their part. They have tens of thousands of cold cases, some of which were never given a single minute of investigation. And these tens of thousands cases range anywhere from simple vandalism to murder.

Posted by: citizen on Feb 8, 2012 at 06:27 AM

Post a reward and see if that loosens the right tongue. It's worth a try.

Click here to post or read all 3 comments.

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