West Virginia man accused of killing 2 in drive-by shootings

CULLODEN, W.Va. (AP) — A West Virginia man has been charged with killing two people in separate drive-by shootings, authorities said.

Justin Howard Groff, 30, of Hurricane, was charged with first-degree murder in Putnam and Cabell counties, law enforcement officials told news outlets Thursday.

He’s accused of fatally shooting John Glaspell in Hurricane on Monday and Toni Lynn Cremeans in Culloden on Tuesday, Putnam County Sheriff Steve Deweese said.

Deweese said it appears Goff had a “vendetta against the two victims” because he blamed them for his girlfriend’s drug overdose, WCHS-TV reported.

Quick work by West Virginia State Police firearms experts helped lead to the charges, Deweese said. In addition, a van like one Groff had access to was seen at both shootings, according to court documents.

Groff was being held at Western Regional Jail. Online records did not indicate whether he has an attorney.

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Kassie Simmons
Kassie Simmons joined the team in January 2019 as a weekend journalist. She graduated from Virginia Tech in just two and a half years with a BA in multimedia journalism. During her short time at Virginia Tech, she served as the editor for the university’s chapter of The Tab. Kassie was named the top reporter for The Tab at Virginia Tech on multiple occasions and made the list for the top 30 reporters for The Tab in the U.S. She also studied theater performance and minored in creative writing. Before coming to WOAY, Kassie interned at WSLS in Roanoke and the Tidewater Review in her hometown of West Point, Va. She has loved following breaking news since her childhood and has a passion for delivering the stories people care most about. Kassie is excited to be working in Southern West Virginia and looks forward to all the adventures ahead of her. You can follow her on Twitter at @KassieLSimmons and like her page on Facebook. If you have a story you think she should check out, send her an email at ksimmons@woay.com.