Latest: Vigil held after Virginia triple slaying
KEELING, Va. (AP) — The Latest on the triple slaying in Virginia that included the wife of minor league baseball pitcher Blake Bivens (all times local):
8:05 p.m.
Prayer, song and scripture marked the vigil held in memory of three slain relatives of minor league baseball pitcher Blake Bivens.
The vigil was held at The River Church in Danville, Virginia, on Wednesday night. Approximately 50 people scattered among the pews at the church as senior pastor Jackie Poe led those in attendance in prayer for the Bivens and Bernard families.
Poe summoned people to the steps of the altar, and while some people dabbed the tears from their eyes, sniffles and sobs were also audible.
The vigil was held hours after a news conference where Pittsylvania County Sheriff Michael Taylor discussed some of the details of the Tuesday killings. Matthew Thomas Bernard, the 18-year-old brother-in-law of Blake Bivens, is charged in the deaths of Bivens' wife, the couple's toddler son, and Bivens' mother-in-law.
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4:55 p.m.
A Virginia sheriff says the motive is still unclear in the killing of three relatives of minor league baseball pitcher Blake Bivens.
Pittsylvania County Sheriff Michael Taylor gave an update on the investigation at a news conference Wednesday afternoon. The sheriff said the victims were the mother, sister and nephew of the suspect, 18-year-old Matthew Thomas Bernard, who is charged with three counts of first-degree murder.
Taylor said a firearm was "involved in the incident," but he didn't give details about how the victims died.
The sheriff says Bernard was taken to a hospital for treatment after he banged his head against the cage in a police vehicle after being taken into custody following an extensive manhunt. He's since been released and is in jail.
Taylor says Bernard is on suicide watch.
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4:10 p.m.
An 18-year-old man is being held without bail after police say he killed three relatives in Virginia. One of the victims is the wife of minor league baseball pitcher Blake Bivens.
Court documents show that Magistrate Judge J. Allan Blair ordered Matthew Thomas Bernard held without bail Wednesday. An initial court appearance is scheduled for Thursday morning.
Bernard faces three counts of first-degree murder and use of a firearm during a felony.
Paperwork for determining Bernard's bail shows that he was attending community college and working at his parents' campground.
Police say the killings occurred in Keeling, a small community in southern Virginia outside Danville. Victims have been identified as Emily Marie Bivens, Cullen Bivens, and Emily's mother, Joan Bernard.
Emily Bivens was married to baseball player Blake Bivens. He is a pitcher for the Montgomery Biscuits, a Double-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays.
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2:30 p.m.
The wife, son and mother-in-law of a minor league baseball pitcher are dead and a relative has been charged with three counts of murder in a tiny community in southern Virginia.
Authorities said 18-year-old Matthew Thomas Bernard was arrested after police warned of a dangerous gunman on the loose after finding the bodies in Keeling on Tuesday. Bernard emerged naked from the woods hours later.
Tracie Cooper of the state medical examiner's officer in Roanoke identified the dead as Emily Marie Bivens, Cullen Bivens, and her mother, Joan Bernard.
Emily Bivens was married to Blake Bivens, a pitcher for the Montgomery Biscuits, a Double-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays. Cullen Bivens was the couple's 1-year-old child.
Pittsylvania County Sheriff Mike Taylor said the suspect is related to the victims.
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11:20 a.m.
Police in Virginia apprehended a naked 18-year-old after an intense manhunt in the slayings of two women and a child.
Authorities said Matthew Thomas Bernard is charged with three counts of first-degree murder. Pittsylvania County Sheriff Mike Taylor indicated he's related to the victims.
Police warned of a dangerous gunman on the loose after finding the bodies at a home in Keeling Tuesday. Schools were locked down and a tank and armored vehicle were brought in. Up to 100 officers joined the search. Bernard emerged naked from the woods hours later, running past cameras to a church where he was recorded trying to choke a caretaker.
An officer sprayed mace and smacked Bernard with a baton before he was captured at a barricade with the help of a police dog.
