ABINGDON, VA: Washington County murder-suicide victim had filed orders of protection

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Monday morning started innocently enough for Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell Waters at their Chilhowie home. Around 10:30 a.m., they opened the door to their daughter’s estranged boyfriend, John Catanzaro. "They apparently at that point felt reasonably comfortable with him," says Washington County, Virginia Sheriff Fred Newman. By around 5:30 P.M., things took a drastic turn, when Catanzaro pulled a gun on the couple. "He bound them and secured them,” says Newsman, “then had the mother contact the victim in regard to having her come up under the pretense that her father was sick"



Jane Boyles arrived a short time later, unaware of the violence that awaited her. “He immediately bound her and tied her up,” Newman says, “then placed her in the front seat of his vehicle.” Catanzaro drove his soon to be ex-girlfriend, who had twice previously obtained protective orders against him for domestic violence, to Abingdon. The couple had lived together for about five years, but Newman says that relationship was ending. A few hours later, his green Tahoe was spotted by the Abingdon Police Department.



Officers followed the vehicle, but did not turn on their lights or activate their siren. “They followed the vehicle, but did not pursue the vehicle,” says Newman. They followed Catanzaro up Interstate 81, when the vehicle pulled off exit 29, onto State Route 91. The vehicle then turned onto State Route 11, when Washington County Deputies joined in following the vehicle.



While waiting to decide if they should pull the vehicle over, they say Catanzaro made that decision for them. "They saw some glass fly out of the right side window," says Newman. They knew the passenger in the vehicle had been shot at that point, and activated their siren. Catanzaro pulled the vehicle off the side of the road. "As our officers were exiting the vehicle, they heard a single gunshot,” says Newman, “and our investigation has led us to believe that's when he took his own life."



Two lives gone, by a man the sheriff says was determined to end. "Some point in time, this individual was going to have to be confronted,” says the Sheriff, “and he apparently chose not to do that, tragically taking the life of the victim and then his own life"