WHEELING - Less than one day after James Lohr Jr. was arraigned for the murder of his 80-year-old father, Lohr Jr.'s wife, Angela Marie Lohr, also has been charged in the death of James Lohr of Triadelphia.
Angela Lohr, 31, was arraigned Thursday before Ohio County Magistrate Charles Murphy. She was charged with first-degree murder, accessory before the fact. During the proceedings, Lohr asked for a court-appointed attorney. She was then transported to the Northern Regional Jail to await action in circuit court. Her husband also remains in the NRJ.
Lohr Jr., 40, was arrested early Wednesday in Shelby County, Ohio, where he and his wife were found sleeping in a green van in some weeds just off Ohio 119. James Lohr's body reportedly was wrapped in a grill cover and weighted down with cinder blocks before being dumped into the Ohio River near Short Creek in Brooke County last week. The body was found by some fishermen on July 16.
Murphy said anyone charged with being an accessory to murder before the fact faces the same penalty as the person who actually committed the crime. In this case, that penalty is life in prison.
"The penalty is the same for someone who is involved before the fact. If it was after the fact, then it would be a different charge," Murphy said.
Court documents indicate that following the discovery of James Lohr Sr.'s body, West Virginia State Police Crime Scene teams executed a search warrant at the victim's Triadelphia home, which he shared with his son and his family.
According to police reports, the residence appeared "fairly neat." However, the crime team located human blood in the victim's recliner, a trail of human blood droplets leading out to a back porch, human blood smears on the washing machine and human blood on a towel on top of the washing machine.
The Crime Team also found a chain on the back porch that matched the chain utilized to attach cinder blocks to the victim and an electrical cord attached to a Shop Vac that matched a piece of electrical cord wrapped around the victim's head. They also observed two "pristine, brand new appearing" extension cords in the garage area and the "conspicuous absence" of any old extension cords. In addition, cinder blocks matching the one used to weigh the victim down were located on the property.
The investigation also turned up evidence that Lohr Jr. sold his father's white Geo Metro to a local man on July 16. In other statements, a neighbor reported hearing a loud argument between the victim and Lohr Jr. on July 16. The neighbor also reported hearing a gunshot. The neighbor said he did not see James Lohr Sr. after that day.
Police reports state Lohr Sr. died from a single gunshot wound to the head.
Court records also state that Angela and her husband used Lohr Sr.'s credit card to make numerous purchases before and after his body was discovered in the river.
Lohr Jr. will have a preliminary hearing on Aug. 4 in Ohio County Circuit Court. A court date for Angela Lohr had not been set Thursday.