In 1918, 14-year old Eva Roy was found murdered in
Fairfax, VA. According to the newspaper, she had been tied to a tree and
strangled. According to family stories, her breasts had been bitten, she
was hacked up, and "brutally assaulted". After several different
suspects were named then cleared, Lou Hall stood trial for her murder and was
eventually acquitted. Lou Hall was the husband of Naomi Taylor (my Great
Grand Aunt). Chester Taylor, Naomi's son, told me the story from the
family's perspective. On that day in 1918, Lou came home with bloody
clothes and asked his wife to burn them. He said he'd been out
slaughtering hogs. She thought it was very strange. After word
came out about the murder, she and the rest of the family came to believe in
Lou's guilt. After he was acquitted, the family wanted nothing to do
with him, and he moved to Baltimore. Naomi died in Stanton, VA in 1923.
No one was ever held responsible for the death of Eva Roy. She is buried
in Lee Chapel Cemetery.
