Murder in Roanoke County

Violence, bigamy, race, and a quest for justice—the true crime story of Charles Watkins, his wife's mysterious death, and the chaos that followed.

 


A drama played out in the mountains of southwestern Virginia in 1891 that attracted nationwide attention and held the citizens of the Roanoke Valley spellbound. The tale of the trial of Charles Watkins for the murder of his wife was marked by threats of lynching, a fugitive manhunt, a disappearing witness, mistaken identities, claims of insanity and finally a secret letter to break the case wide open. In its day, the story was as closely followed as a modern televised murder trial. Despite the rapt attention of the public then, it has entirely faded from the history books—until now. Historian John Long resurrects the truth of who killed Susan Watkins.