Father, Daughter Charged In Murder
The wife and father-in-law of the man whose body was found dumped in New River last week have been charged with his murder.
Vanessa Loredo, 22, wife of the victim, was arrested at approximately 6:30 p.m. on Monday evening, following an interrogation by investigators with the Scott County SheriffÕs Department and Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
The arrest marked the second in six days in the murder investigation. On Wednesday, July 23, LoredoÕs father, 47-year-old Charles Ray Harvey of Robbins, was arrested in Campbell County. Both suspects were charged with first degree murder, while Loredo was also charged with conspiracy to commit first degree murder. Both are being held in lieu of $1 million bond each.
The arrests are the culmination of a tireless, round-the-clock investigation by the SheriffÕs Department and TBI that began on July 18, when three fishermen discovered an unidentified body in New River, approximately one mile above the U.S. Hwy 27 New River Bridge.
The body was later identified as Armando G. Loredo, 27, of Oak Ridge. An autopsy at the University of Tennessee confirmed that he had died as the result of a gunshot wound to the head. Unconfirmed reports state that the weapon used was a 9mm handgun and has since been recovered.
Though it was initially thought that he had been in the river for Òup to two months,Ó it was later determined that he had been in the river for a much shorter period than that. The body was still in good condition, which allowed investigators to make a positive identification on the body.
According to Chief Detective Robbie Carson of the Scott County SheriffÕs Department, identity of the body was confirmed after Knox County SheriffÕs Department Sergeant Terry Lee was able to obtain finger prints from the body. Those finger prints were matched with prints on file with the Oak Ridge Police Department. Shortly after the body was identified, Harvey was arrested.
According to the arrest warrant, Loredo lived in Indiana but had come to her fatherÕs house in Scott County on the weekend of July 5 and 6 and had discussed her problems with her husband, Armando Loredo. The arrest warrant alleges that Harvey told Loredo that he would Òtake care of it.Ó A few days later, states the warrant, Loredo brought her husband to meet her father for the first time. She had allegedly told the victim that she thought they could work things out and that he could work for her dad. On that night, the Loredos accompanied Harvey on a fishing trip. ÒHer father told her that her problems would be over in a few hours,Ó the warrant states. ÒEarly the next morning, Charles Harvey shot the victim in the head.Ó
The arrest warrant for Harvey states that Donna Gail La Boy, HarveyÕs live-in girlfriend, told authorities that Harvey told her Òthat they had to kill the victim.Ó On the night of the fishing trip, La Boy drove the trio to the river. When she returned to pick them up the next morning, the warrant states, Òthe victim was not with them.Ó The warrant goes on to state, Òthe defendant told La Boy that he shot the victim with a 9mm. The defendant then told La Boy about how he tied rocks to the victimÕs ankles, wrists and belt looks, and put him in the river.Ó
When the body was discovered on July 23, there were cinderblocks and rocks tied to it, according to a press release from the Scott County SheriffÕs Department. Despite the depth of the water in the vicinity of where the victim was placed - which, according to unconfirmed reports was eight feet in depth - the victim had floated towards the top of the water, even with the weights attached.
Unconfirmed reports have also suggested that the murder weapon, alleged by the arrest warrants to be a 9mm handgun, has been recovered by investigators. Detective Carson declined to comment on the possibility. Investigators have refused to discuss a motive, the weapon and other factors associated with the case, due primarily to an interpretation of a recent Tennessee Supreme Court ruling issued by District Attorney General William Paul Phillips on June 23.
PhillipsÕ interpretation states that, except for information already contained in a public record, commenting on potential evidence or information that would be materially prejudicial is generally prohibited. Examples listed by PhillipsÕ interpretation memo include: commenting on the expected testimony of a party or witness, the identity or nature of physical evidence expected to be presented (at trial), the performance or results of any examination or test, and the existence or contents of any confession, admission, or statement given by a defendant or suspect.
Harvey, a resident of 125 Sims Road, Robbins, was arraigned on Thursday, July 24. Bond was set for $1 million. A preliminary hearing for Harvey was scheduled for yesterday (Wednesday). Loredo was to have been arraigned yesterday in General Sessions Court.
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