Who murdered Doris Critzer?

Five months later, what we know — and don’t know — about a murder in Washington, Virginia

Five months have passed since the body of Doris Ann Critzer was found in a grisly scene on the kitchen floor of her home, located within easy walking distance to the historic district of the Town of Washington.

No one has been charged with her murder last Aug. 21.

Law enforcement is keeping mum.

Is a killer loose? Is there a person of interest? Someone she knew? What does DNA show? How did she die? These are some of the questions Rappahannock residents ask when they meet up at potlucks, poker games, parties and the Flatwood Refuse Center. There are varying theories over who could have done this.

“From the co-op to post offices to churches, it’s a subject of interest that comes up in conversation. People are scared, and want to know what’s going on,” said Willie Shanks, manager of Flatwood. “I’ve got family less than a mile from where it happened.”

“There has to be some info for a violent murder … like that,” said W. F. “Yogi” Bear Jr., a Washington resident, in an email. “Does law enforcement just let it die?”

The Rappahannock News and Foothills Forum have been seeking answers in the hope of finding justice for Critzer, 74, a longtime resident of Rappahannock County and volunteer at the Rappahannock Food Pantry, whose family has had strong ties to the town and county.

Law enforcement authorities – Rappahannock County Sheriff Connie Compton and Commonwealth’s Attorney Art Goff – have been tight-lipped, repeatedly declining to answer questions other than to say: “The investigation is ongoing.”

An examination of Circuit Court records several inches thick, including some kept under lock and key but accessible to the public, provides some clues in the murder investigation that ironically come from law enforcement documents:

Critzer’s home on Rawls Lane. (Photo/Ireland Hayes)

• There was no sign of forced entry to Critzer’s home on Rawls Lane.

• The kitchen door was found to be unlocked, though she was known to lock her doors.

• The murderer is likely someone she knew – the crime scene suggests she had a guest.

• No murder weapon has been found.

• A revolver she kept in her bedroom dresser is missing.

The court records also reveal:

• A person of interest is Chester Brown, 63, of Washington — the first official notification of a person of interest.

• The cause of Critzer’s death was “trauma and asphyxiation” … “suggesting strangulation.”

• An autopsy revealed “multiple slash wounds to the victim’s neck, as well as multiple defensive cut wounds.”

There is no mention in these records, so far, as to what DNA shows, if in fact there are conclusive results or if testing has been completed.

The court records, including numerous sworn affidavits by sheriff’s deputies for 16 search warrants, also provide an inside look at what authorities found at the crime scene on Aug. 23, two days after Critzer was murdered, and how they began to build a case. They show the extent of the investigation from executing search warrants to sleuthing cell tower transmission data to find a suspect.

Two of the affidavits have conflicting times on an occurrence on the day of the murder. There appear to be no records filed in the clerk’s office since August showing the results of key search warrants, such as data from cellular carriers, and what was found.

Brown has not been charged with the homicide. He is in the RSW Regional Jail in Front Royal awaiting trial Feb. 15 and again in March on felony firearm charges in connection with an alleged theft of a .38 caliber revolver belonging to Critzer that authorities said was given to her by her ex-husband, Bruce Critzer. Authorities said the revolver was missing from her home, and a photo of it, taken on the night of her murder, was later found on Brown’s phone in his deleted photos.

Brown was arrested Aug. 29 on the firearm charges – six days after Critzer’s body was found. Authorities executed multiple search warrants at his home several days before his arrest.

Brown, who served in the Armed Forces, has lived in Washington since 2012 and before that in Sperryville, and volunteered with Critzer at the Food Pantry where they met. He had done yard work for her as well as for several homeowners in and around the Town of Washington. One homeowner recalled how Brown and he would talk about politics together on his front porch while Brown was taking a break from gardening. Brown was often seen riding his bicycle, his only transportation, to work from his home, then at 191 Fodderstack Road.

Chester Brown’s former house. (Photo/Ireland Hayes)

Critzer, who worked as a seamstress at the old Aileen clothing factory in Flint Hill for 15 years, and as a housekeeper at The Inn at Little Washington, was a mother of five children. She was a prolific writer, not shy about expressing her views on RappNet and sharing them publicly. Some of her writings, titled “Citizen Watch,” ranged from advocating for preservation of “the courthouse and our heritage” to railing against some of President Joe Biden’s policies, including “illegal border crossings.” She wrote about concerns for her safety, admonishing in her writings a deputy she felt didn’t take her concerns seriously when asking for help.

Investigators said Brown told them he was at Critzer’s residence on Sunday evening, Aug. 20, the day before the murder, and “made statements regarding having recent sexual contact” with her. Critzer’s family members confirmed to authorities the two had been sexually active over the years, according to an affidavit.

By piecing together affidavits, other court records and interviews, a timeline appears of the day of the Aug. 21 murder and the discovery two days later of Critzer’s body by her aunt, Montrue Frazier of Castleton. Frazier drove to Critzer’s home at 19 Rawls Lane in Washington on Aug. 23, after she couldn’t reach Critzer by phone for a couple of days. The last time they talked was Aug. 21.

Murder scene

When Frazier arrived that Wednesday morning, she saw Critzer’s body lying on the kitchen floor. At 10:17 a.m., she reported to the Rappahannock County Sheriff’s Office what she saw.

Deputies arrived to see “a deceased female partially nude from the waist down” on the kitchen floor with “severe lacerations to the throat area,” according to an affidavit. There was no mention of rape.

“The medical examiner determined the cause of death to be due to trauma and asphyxiation and ruled the death a homicide,” the affidavit said. “The autopsy also revealed that the victim’s right side hyoid bone was fractured suggesting strangulation.”

No weapon was recovered after a search of the crime scene, authorities said at the time.

Deputies also took note of the interior of the crime scene. Critzer’s residence was clean and orderly. There was no sign of forced entry; uncharacteristically, the kitchen door was unlocked. Her purse was lying on her bed, open with change having spilled out. Her shorts and underwear were on the floor in a ball at the end of the bed.

“A KFC cup was found on a coffee table. A glass with water mixed with Coke was on the kitchen counter next to a diet Coke bottle partially empty, suggesting that the victim was engaged in entertaining a guest,” the affidavit said.

Day of the murder

Authorities believe the murder took place after 4 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 21. Chief Rappahannock investigator Capt. James W. Jones wrote in an affidavit: “Family members last reported contact with the deceased late on Monday, August 21, 2023 by telephone.”

A review of Brown’s actions and whereabouts that afternoon, based on multiple affidavits filed with the court, shows a timing inconsistency. When asked to comment, the sheriff declined again, saying it was an ongoing investigation. According to those affidavits:

3:30 p.m. A surveillance camera shows Brown passing by on his bicycle on Main Street heading in the direction of the south end of town where Critzer’s house and Baldwin’s Grocery are located.

3:38 p.m. or 3:46 p.m. There are two different times stated as to when Brown allegedly purchased items at Baldwin’s Grocery near Critzer’s house. One affidavit said a receipt was recovered and authenticated by the cashier confirming a purchase by Brown at 3:38 p.m.

Another affidavit said a receipt was recovered from Baldwin’s listing items Brown purchased at 3:46 p.m.: Two six-packs of Coors Lite beer, two packs of Newport King cigarettes, two bottles of wine, two cans of Vienna sausages and one pack of Halls Cough Drops. Investigators said Brown told the store clerk he purchased the wine because he was going to visit “a young lady” and was hoping to get “lucky with her.”

None of these items, including the two bottles of wine, was listed among items found at the crime scene.

5:32 p.m. Camera footage from The Inn at Little Washington showed Brown riding a bicycle on Main Street toward his Fodderstack home, “wearing sweatpants, a white t-shirt, white socks, and black and white flip flops. Brown was also wearing a blue backpack.”

7:03 p.m. Brown’s cellphone, authorities said, showed a photograph of Critzer’s missing revolver on a table in Brown’s home on the night of the murder, stamped with the time of 7:03 p.m. The photo was found among Brown’s deleted cellphone photos on Aug. 28 via a search warrant.

Aug. 25: Two days after Critzer’s body was found, Lt. M. C. Dodson of the Rappahannock Sheriff’s Office along with other Rappahannock and Fauquier deputies re-examined the crime scene. Dodson reported that he observed “a red stain on the floor with 3 possible partial shoe prints located within the stain.” Nothing more was said in the court filing, including regarding whose prints they were.

Person of interest

During the investigation, Chester Brown was identified as a “person of interest” in the case, according to an affidavit by deputy Dodson in support of a search warrant. No other persons of interest are mentioned in court records.

Chester Brown arrives at the Rappahannock County Courthouse for a hearing in January. (Photo/Ireland Hayes)

In an interview with investigators, Brown was asked when he last saw Critzer. He said that the last time was a visit to her residence on Sunday evening, Aug. 20, the day before the murder, according to an affidavit by Capt. James W. Jones of the Criminal Investigations Division of the Rappahannock County Sheriff’s Office.

“He stated that the two of them attempted to have sex, however, he was unable to perform. At that point, Mr. Brown stated that he left the house and went home,” wrote Jones.

Jones wrote in another affidavit that Brown “voluntarily provided law enforcement with the clothing that he stated he was wearing the night he last visited the victim. The clothing provided contains what appears to be red blood stains.” There is no additional information in the affidavit.

Critzer family members said that Brown had been present at the victim’s home on previous occasions, Jones wrote in the affidavit, “and that on one occasion within the last twelve months had engaged in masturbation in front of the victim.”

Jones noted in the affidavit that during an interview with Brown on the front porch of Brown’s Fodderstack home, there was a “digital camera facing the steps to the residence” and that “digital cameras store data on electronic devices.”

One of Jones’ affidavits was in support of an Aug. 24 warrant to search Brown’s residence for items such as electronic devices, surveillance systems, clothing and cutting instruments. In a search executed by Lt. Dodson, the following items were seized: “T-shirt, two pair gloves, U.S. currency, 3 cellphones, one laptop, 7 cameras, SD card, bike, two utility knives.”

Five days later, Dodson went back to Brown’s residence with another search warrant, and court records show that on Aug. 29 the following items were seized: “1 calendar with notes, 1 receipt, 3 notebooks, 1 knife.”

Investigators have not recovered a .38 caliber Smith and Wesson steel revolver that family members confirmed Critzer kept in her bedroom and that her former husband Bruce Critzer had given to her “after they separated and divorced,” according to Commonwealth’s Attorney Art Goff in a court document filed Jan. 9.

Shortly after Brown’s arrest, a Fauquier County detective interviewed him about the deleted photo of the revolver discovered on his cellphone. Brown, according to Goff, “confessed, saying, ‘I lifted the gun. I took it from her dresser drawer while she was in the bathroom. I know you want that gun, but it’s my only bargaining chip … get the DA to make me a deal and I will tell you where it’s at . . . don’t worry its in a safe place.’”

Cellphones seized

Among the multiple search warrants was one executed by Lt. Dodson at Brown’s home on Aug. 25 revealing seven security cameras in his residence, four of them located in the living room, bedroom, dining room and kitchen window facing the driveway. The four had SD cards used to record footage, and authorities said “all data from SD cards” was seized.

Dodson also executed search warrants on Aug. 25, for cellphones, finding two blue Motorola cellphones, one on Brown’s bed in his bedroom, another blue Motorola cellphone in a blue bag as well as a blue Samsung cellphone. The phones were taken as evidence, according to the affidavit, and data downloaded.

Another phone — a light green Cricket cellphone — was taken as evidence from Brown when he was arrested, according to an affidavit.

Authorities are looking at Doris Critzer’s Brightspeed landline phone records for the month prior to the last known contact with her to see who she “communicated with in the weeks leading up to her murder,” Dodson wrote in an affidavit requesting a search of her records with Brightspeed.

“These phone records could contain evidence of the victim’s communications and activities leading up to the murder, the day of the murder, and the time leading up to when Critzer’s body was discovered, which could further the investigation,” Dodson wrote.

Dodson is also requesting that cellular service providers provide cellphone records from noon on Aug. 21 to 10 a.m. on Aug. 23, “from the time when Frazier last spoke with Critzer to when she arrived at the Critzer residence,” according to his Aug. 31 affidavit for a search warrant.

Records from Google are being sought by Lt. Dodson to see what devices were present in the geographic area prior to, during and after the crime.

“The information sought from Google . . . will potentially identify which cellular phones/devices were near the location where the crime occurred and may assist law enforcement in determining which persons were present or involved in the crime under investigation,” he wrote in an affidavit. “I believe that it is likely that a review of Google’ location history will help law enforcement in developing suspect(s) in a murder . . .”

Foothills Forum and Rappahannock News will continue reporting on Doris Critzer’s murder in upcoming stories.

Timeline: Before and after the murder  

Sunday, Aug. 20 

• Chester Brown visits Doris Critzer at her home in the evening, the last time he said he saw her.

Monday, Aug. 21 

Critzer murdered after 4 p.m.

• 3:30 p.m. Brown passes a surveillance camera on Main Street in the Town of Washington riding his bicycle in the direction of Baldwin’s Grocery and Critzer’s home on the outskirts of the town.

• 3:38 p.m. or 3:46 p.m. Grocery receipt from Baldwin’s listed items Brown allegedly purchased.

• 5:32 p.m. Brown is seen on surveillance camera riding his bicycle on Main Street in the direction of Fodderstack Road where he lives.

Wednesday, Aug. 23

• Doris Critzer’s body is found on her kitchen floor in the morning by Montrue Frazier, her aunt, who had driven to Critzer’s home, unable to reach her by phone since Aug. 21. She contacts the Sheriff’s Office.

• Deputies arrive to see Critzer’s body with multiple slash wounds to the neck. They begin investigating and learn that Critzer’s .38 caliber loaded revolver is missing.

• The medical examiner rules the death a homicide.

Thursday, Aug. 24

• Investigators interview Brown on the front porch of his home during the day and he voluntarily gives clothing to deputies that he says he wore the night he last saw Critzer.

• 9:40 p.m. a warrant is executed to search Brown’s residence.

Friday, Aug. 25

• Investigators reexamine the crime scene.

• With additional warrants granted, investigators search through contents retrieved from Brown’s residence, including devices such as cellphones, a laptop, seven security cameras, downloading data late into the evening.

Monday, Aug. 28 

• Deputies discover a photograph of Doris Critzer’s revolver while searching Brown’s cellphone. The photo was taken inside Brown’s house at 7:03 p.m. on Aug. 21, the day of the murder, and found in his deleted photos.

• Investigators recover a receipt time-stamped that afternoon from Baldwin’s of purchased items allegedly by Brown on Aug. 21.

Tuesday, Aug. 29 

• Brown is arrested at 5:49 p.m., on felony firearm charges including theft, “on or about” Aug. 21, of the revolver belonging to Doris Critzer. He is not charged in the homicide.

— By Mary Ann Kuhn

The timeline reflects information contained in search warrants and affidavits filed in Circuit Court.