Excerpts: Farmville suspect's sister writes

By: | Times-Dispatch
Published: September 22, 2009

The following are excerpts from an e-mail yesterday from Sarah McCroskey, 21, sister of Richard Samuel Alden McCroskey III, sent to the Richmond Times-Dispatch:

"A tragedy has been bestowed upon us and my heart goes out to the ones who lost their lives and to their loved ones whom are dealing with such a horrific loss. 4 innocent people in Farmville, Virginia are gone and no one knows why or how. . . .

"As much as I love Sammy, who is still a 5 year old boy in my eyes . . . I know if he is proven guilty, he will suffer the consequences like a man.

"I wish nothing more then (sic) for this situation to be dealt with in a true, honost (sic), mature way. I will forever have love for my brother and will stand by him as much as humanly possible. . . . There are still people who have to live their lives and their daily routines with this dark cloud raining down on us. The last thing we need is to have fingers pointed at innocent people, not just those whom are related to the suspects/victims, but also to those who helped resolve this situation thus far.

"As for my little brother, I am very shocked that he, if guilty, was capable of doing something so extreme. He was always the quiet kid in the background who got along with everyone. He was very well liked and constantly had the house phone ringing from all his friends. To me, he was the best little brother anyone can ask for. He is a very talented musician, yes his lyrics may be very vulgar to someone who is not familiar with this genre, but he, in his scene was going somewhere with his career choice.

"Just thinking that my brother is the main suspect in a quadruple homicide drives me insane. . . . All I can really say is that I, as his older sister, feel like I failed. I wish I could have been there for him way more then I was. I have never in my life felt completely helpless and alone. If I could have anything in the world right now, it would be to have 30 seconds with him so I can hug him and let him know that his family is here and I will always love him no matter what the outcome is. . . .

"I hope the deceased rest in peace and will forever be remembered for who they were, and not for what they went through."