By Sarah Richardson

On Friday, Oct. 4, West Virginia State Police (WVSP) apprehended a man wanted in connection to an ongoing murder investigation in Virginia.

Larry Johnson Little Jr., 44, of Basye, VA, arrived at the Lewisburg detachment of the WVSP on Friday around noon and asked to speak with an officer.

Earlier in the week the Shenandoah County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO) in Virginia reported that Melanie Rose Little, formerly Melanie Rose Shepherd, 42, of Basye, VA, “was found in her home by sheriff’s office deputies on Oct. 1, the victim of multiple gunshot wounds.”

On Oct. 3, investigators obtained a warrant for second-degree murder and identified the suspect to be Larry Johnson Little Jr.

Sgt. H.F. Blevins with the WVSP said that Little ended up in Lewisburg by happenstance, as it was where he decided to stop after leaving Virginia.

Sheriff Timothy Carter with the SCSO said that Little turned himself in to the WVSP “without incident.” Officer Blevins elaborated and said that Little, “walked into the office and asked to speak with an officer, and after speaking with him, they followed up on what was happening in Shenandoah County and found out he was a wanted person.”

He was taken to Southern Regional Jail in Beckley, and later extradited to Rappahannock-Shenandoah-Warren regional Jail in Virginia. Little is scheduled to appear in Shenandoah County Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court.

As to why he chose to turn himself in, officer Blevins said, “we don’t know why, but we’re glad he did.”