Landlord “brutally murdered” by her tenant in Virginia: Police

A Virginia landlord who was “brutally murdered” was allegedly fatally shot by her tenant, according to police.

Joyce Francine Gould, 63, of Manassas, just southeast of Washington D.C., was killed in a home on the 7900 block of Minor Hill Road in the afternoon of Sunday, May 21.

Prince William County Police Department (PWCPD) officers were alerted by a tenant that the landlord had died.

A PWCPD spokesperson said in a May 22 Facebook post: “When officers arrived at the home, the victim was found to have been shot. Fire and rescue personnel pronounced the victim dead at the scene.

“The investigation revealed the victim and another tenant of the home, identified as the accused, were involved in an altercation. At one point during the argument, the victim was fatally shot.”

Fairfax County police later located tenant Roger Allen Foote Jr. at about 6:30 a.m., and arrested him without incident.

Foote Jr. was then charged with murder and the use of a firearm in commission of a felony and he is being held without bond. As of Tuesday, May 23, a court date had not been set for him.

Police added that the incident was isolated inside the home and that there is no further threat to the community.

According to the Gun Violence Archive, a database that collects information about shootings from across the U.S., 27 victims have been fatally shot in Virginia since May 1.

In 2021, Virginia reported 606 homicide deaths, which translates to a homicide death rate of 7.2 per 100,000 people, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Virginia’s death rate places it 24th in the country, with Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama leading the nation, with rates of 23.7, 21.3 and 15.9, respectively.

A GoFundMe campaign has been organized by Gould’s brother Tim, and it has so far raised $2,510 out of a $15,000 goal.

Gould said his sister was “brutally murdered” and added: “Murder is the most painful experience I’ve ever felt as it is 100 percent preventable…may you rest in eternal peace, Joyce.”

Money raised by the GoFundMe campaign will go toward funeral costs and assisting her daughter, Missa Lipscomb.

The GoFundMe campaign also described Gould as “a sister, mom, and grandmother to her grandson who she adored with every fabric of her being.”

Newsweek has contacted the PWCPD for comment via email.