Elmer Roehrs
Marie Johnson (Alexandria Police Department)ALEXANDRIA, Va. -
Alexandria police say an autopsy confirms that the 94-year-old man found dead in his house in the 2700 block of Holly Street was the victim of a murder.
Elmer Roehrs's wife, Marian, tells FOX 5 she can't believe what happened and can't understand why. Her husband, called Joe by friends, was violently attacked. Their house was ransacked. Police say it was a bloody scene.
The Roehrs were both widows when they met. They would have celebrated their 13th wedding anniversary this coming July.
Marian says she met her husband at a dance. She says he couldn't dance. He was an optician and pointed out her glasses weren't on straight and he straightened them for her.
Marian's adult son, David, says Joe was a gentle, frail man who liked to tend to his garden, read the newspaper and cheer for his favorite teams, which included the Redskins, the Nationals and the Wizards.
Police have arrested 45-year-old Marie Maybell Johnson, not for the murder, but in connection with a burglary at the home last November. They won't say how they identified her as a suspect in the burglary, but the victim's house is surrounded by security cameras, put there after previous break-ins.
