Farmville, Va., population 7,000, is abuzz over murder charges against Richard McCroskey, 20, a rapper of luridly violent lyrics who billed himself as Syko Sam, reports the Washington Post. Last Friday, four people in the house where he had been staying — a college professor; her estranged husband, a minister; their teenage daughter; and a young friend of the girl — were found bludgeoned to death. Police said McCroskey was a guest of the two teenagers, who shared his enthusiasm for “horrorcore” rap.
The killings, which remain unexplained, have stirred plenty of chatter among residents about what was at the root of the tragedy, with many blaming toxic Internet influences. “I guess we have to realize that these things are going to happen anywhere, society being the way it is today,” said Gerald Spates, town manager. “We’re not as isolated, being a small town, as we once were.” One of the victims was Debra S. Kelley, 53, a professor of criminal justice at Longwood University in Farmville.