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What Happened?
This page launched on March 8, 2000

What you are about to read are the events that took place on March 8, 1991.  

CLICK HERE TO READ HEADLINES DAY AFTER MURDER

Revision 4 on Monday, March 05, 2001
Note: This site will be added to frequently, please keep checking back for updates!

The events took place in Edgewater, a small town in Florida where Norm and his wife, Virginia had their dental practice.  It was a Friday the last day of ‘bike week’.  The office was busy when Virginia showed up for work.  Norm was already there working on David, his 8:00 AM patient with his assistant Emma. Being heavily booked, they were already behind 3 or 4 patients.

Mr. Gerke was in the waiting room waiting for his wife.  Paul, a patient just came though the front door complaining about his pain since he had an extraction done the day before.  He went around in circles with Virginia asking for medication but she told him the pain was most likely from dry sockets and to hang tight until Norm can have a look.  He takes a seat with Mr. Gerke and others waiting in the lobby.

Virginia checks on Norm’s progress with David. He has just finished up and Virginia makes sure David is able to drive since he was given 20 milograms of medication.  As David leaves the room, Norm closes the safe where he keeps all the medication and other valuables.

Virginia explains her suspicion of Paul’s dry sockets to Norm.  Norm instructs Emma to quickly clean up the room and once Paul is brought back, Norm confirms Virginia’s observation and repacks Paul’s dry sockets.  Once completed, Virginia informs Paul that the best she could do would be to give him Tylenol #3 and he wouldn’t be able to ride his motorcycle.  Virginia completes Paul’s paperwork and soon Norm finishes up with Mr. Gerke’s wife. 

Usually, being booked so heavy, they work through lunch while someone grabs a bite to eat for the group.  But this day there were 3 no-shows, the office now empty and it is just a little bit after 11 AM.

Emma started cleaning the back getting ready for the next wave while Norm sat at his desk and began figuring out the quantity wood he would need to work on his boat.  Norm had a passion for his boats and worked on them often. 

Virginia started going over the bills which lead to Norm and Virginia discussing the astronomical bill from Allstate auto insurance.  Then they talked about the weekend and made plans for their son Jason to come live with them again.

They told Emma she might as well break for lunch since both the 11:30 & 11:45 were no-shows.  Virginia decides she has to much to do with payroll to go after lunch so Norm opts to go for them.  Just about then, Kris, the office manager who had been fired eight days ago comes into the building.  Virginia noticed she dressed very unusual this day.  She was wearing an evening dress, black heels, hair fixed and with makeup.  The girl never wears makeup.  I should add that Kris rents a room from Norm and Virginia and they had not seen her for the last week. 

Virginia remembers it’s Mrs. Washington’s birthday and asks Kris if she would get flowers for her.  Virginia also hands the post office key to Kris and asks her to return with the mail first.  After Kris leaves, Virginia calls Norm on his cell phone while he was in the McDonald’s drive thru and asked him what to do about Kris when she returns.  He tells Virginia to take the mail from Kris and send her to lunch.  Norm says it’s best to discuss what to do about Kris when he returns.

Kris returns with the mail shortly.  Virginia tells Kris to get some lunch and asks her to stop by the flower shop to send Mrs. Washington flowers.  Kris wants to talk about why she was fired and asked to leave the house.  Virginia says that she and Norm will talk about it during lunch and to return around 1 o’clock.  Kris left angry and huffy.

Norm returned and they soon finished lunch.  While Virginia opens the mail they decide it’s best to part ways with Kris. They would ask Kris for the house keys and give her a final paycheck.

Norm was excited about a fishing trip and kept talking about Jason.  It got him in the mood to work on his boat project again.  At his desk he made some calls pertaining to the lumber his boat project would need while Virginia wrote out checks for the bills.  Norm runs into a problem figuring the square root needed in his lumber estimate and decides to go after a calculator at K-Mart.  Virginia hands him a check with her signature since two are required on every check. 

After Norm leaves, Virginia continues to pay the bills and payroll.  Later, she checks to make sure the lab cases are ready for the for pickup and walked out the side door of the building. It is normal procedure leave the side door open for lab exchanges and deliveries.  As she approaches her car she remembers her breaks are going out again and decides to walk to the mail drop box on the corner. 

On the way Virginia talks to guy who is always in the neighborhood.  This guy had a white beard, white hair, shirtless and wore shorts year-round, the long hair hippy type on a bicycle.  After talking with him, she walks to Ocean Optical to get her contacts.  Virginia glanced in Tim’s window and noticed 3 or 4 people in the shop so she decides to come back later.

Virginia sees Norm returning from K-Mart coming down U.S. #1 and he turns onto Knapp Street.  She walked up the driveway as Norm parked on the grass.  They went into the building via the side door.  They noticed Daytona Lab owner Cliff had made a delivery while they were out. (while Cliff was in the building during his delivery, he heard a male cough in the back area) Emma arrives and all three talk in the lab area for a few minutes about Norm’s birthday coming up.  The mood was light and with laughter. They heard something from the back room and think it is the autoclave acting up again.  After all, Tony, Emma’s husband had recently repaired it. 

Hilda, their 1 o’clock patient who was booked for surgery had just pulled up.  Virginia went back to the appointment desk while Emma and Norm went into the hallway.  Just then Hilda entered the front door and poked her head around the corner and said, “Hello”.  Virginia acknowledged Hilda and Hilda commented on Virginia’s good memory.  Hilda took her place in the waiting room in a chair she usually sits in.  Virginia took Hilda’s chart and walks back through the hallway, put the chart in the holder.  Emma and Norm and still in the hallway.  Virginia sees something in Norms hand but doesn’t recall what it is and tells Norm his 1 o’clock perio is waiting.  Norm tells Emma to setup and bleach the room.  When Virginia leaves Norm, he is standing by the bathroom in the hallway.  Virginia returns to her desk and all the while she and Norm are talking about Jason, his car insurance and his arrival for the weekend.

Suddenly, Virginia hears running in the back room and she looks up toward Norm who is now in the waiting room.  Norm is standing in front of the solid core door, his hand reached out to the door knob.  Norm said, “Jason?”  Virginia echo’s Norm and repeats, “Jason?” Just then a blast through the solid waiting-room door.  Norm is hit, he spins around and falls face down to the ground.  Virginia runs to Norm.  She has a clumsy run-in with the assailant where the hallway and lab area meet.  They struggle.  The assailant pushes Virginia into the coffee maker, she hits her head hard.  Her nails come into contact with the assailant, moving her nails in an upward motion taking the assailants skin and blood under her nails.  The assailant moves away from Virginia, out the side door, leaps over the railing and runs to the passenger side of a waiting car.  Virginia runs to the side door, gets part of the car’s license tag numbers and vehicle description.  Virginia rush’s to call 911, makes call.  911 puts Virginia on hold.  She screams for Emma to come out of hiding from the back room and take the call so she can check on Norm.  Emma came to the phone.  Virginia went to Norm and found him lying face down.  One arm was crooked and he was tilted to the side. She checked his passages to make sure he was breathing and asked if he was okay.  She asked if he had pain and to remember to love her.  Norm asks for his children all by name.  Says he loves her.  She is holding him with the dress Norm bought as gift.  She covered Norm with her lower skirt, because he said he was going into shock. (see office diagram, visual of events)

During all this confusion Virginia was yelling out the description of the car and license tag numbers to Emma for 911.  When the police finally arrived, they shoved Virginia out of the way and asked her why she killed her husband.  Norm was still alive and talking until the paramedics arrived.  When they turned him over, he groaned and never woke up.

What had happened this day was a robbery gone bad.  The contents of the safe were missing.  Norm’s prized gold collection was stolen along with a stack of $100 bills and some drugs from the safe.

The police immediately suspected Virginia had co-conspired with their son Jason to kill Norm for a 2 million dollar life insurance policy.  This day the police froze all her accounts and put a ‘Be On the Look Out” -  BOLO for Jason’s car.

The police made up some theory that even their criminal star witnesses could not keep straight.  We checked it out, from no less then 7 sworn statements, they all differ.

Virginia was convicted and sentenced to death for co-conspiring with Jason to murder Norm.  A year later, after Virginia’s trial, Jason was found Not Guilty of this murder.  Therefore, Virginia was not a co-conspirator, so how does her conviction stand????

What his site will show you:

Lastly, a detective has solved the case, identified the assailant.  We need your donations retain an experienced appellate attorney to bring Virginia’s voice into the court.  Time is running out for Virginia.

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This page was updated on Monday, March 05, 2001