Son and daughter-in-law accused in ‘heinous’ killing of Georgia couple in their bed
A couple in their 70s were found shot to death in their bedroom, Georgia police said. A son of one of the victim’s and his wife are facing charges in the shooting.
On Monday, July 11, Virginia Thomas, 73, and Charles Barnett, 75, were found dead in their bed with gunshot wounds at their home in Waycross, according to a news release from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
“This is a truly sad and heinous crime that was committed on Mr. Barnett and Ms. Thomas,” Ware County Sheriff Carl James said in a news release from the office.
Deputies arrested Thomas’ son, 55-year-old Bernard Rittenhouse on July 12 in the shooting, according to the news release. Rittenhouse faces two counts of felony murder and one count of burglary, according to deputies.
Janet Rittenhouse, 53, who is Bernard Rittenhouse’s wife, was also arrested and faces charges of two counts of felony murder and one count of party to the crime of burglary, according to the GBI.
A neighbor and friend of Thomas and Barnett, Roger Nettles, told Action News Jax that Janet Rittenhouse visited him the morning of the couple’s death.
“I said ‘what’s wrong?’ She said Rit (Rittenhouse) went in there, and found his mom and Charles dead. She start crying, and I said, ‘Would you please repeat that because I’m not sure I heard you right,’” Nettles told Action News Jax. “She told me again, and I said ‘Good God Almighty I can’t believe that.’”
A relative called law enforcement about the deceased couple around 8:49 am July 11, according to the GBI.
The investigation is ongoing and anyone with information is asked to contact the Ware County Sheriff’s Office at 912-287-4326 or the GBI Douglas Office at 912-389-4103.
Waycross is about 110 miles southwest of Savannah.
This story was originally published July 14, 2022 at 3:38 PM with the headline "Son and daughter-in-law accused in ‘heinous’ killing of Georgia couple in their bed."
