The mother of an up-and-coming country singer was killed in a brutal home invasion stabbing before her injured husband shot the attacker dead, according to Virginia authorities.
The attack happened just after midnight on Sunday, Aug. 3, inside the Hatcher family’s home in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley, Fox News reported.
The victim, 62-year-old former teacher Holly Hatcher, was stabbed to death by an intruder identified as 41-year-old Kevin Moses Walker of Pikesville, Maryland, the Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office said.
Her husband, Michael Hatcher, 65, was also wounded in the attack but managed to retrieve a handgun from his vehicle and fire a single fatal shot at the suspect.
Rockingham County Sheriff Bryan Hutcheson described the case as “unusual, unique, and just crazy” in a Facebook video.
“This is 31 years in law enforcement for me, I have never seen anything like this in my entire career,” Hutcheson said.
Hutcheson said he had known the family for years and shared a personal connection to the Holly Hatcher.
“My oldest son had Holly as a teacher in school, absolutely loved her,” the sheriff said. “She was a wonderful, wonderful teacher and influence on their life.”
Authorities said Walker entered the home armed with a “large knife” in what appeared to be a random and “highly unusual” crime.
Details of the confrontation remain unclear, but investigators said it ended in the driveway when Michael Hatcher retrieved the pistol and fired.
Walker had no known violent criminal history, Hutcheson said.
Two days before the attack, Walker rented a campsite at the nearby Endless Caverns tourist attraction, toured the caves, and was seen on Walmart surveillance video buying a sleeping bag and a knife.
On Aug. 2, his vehicle was found abandoned near the park, appearing to have been involved with damage to a store. Nothing had been stolen.
In the aftermath, Michael Hatcher said the sheriff’s office and community have been supportive.
“We’ve cried, we’ve hurt, we’ve hugged, and we have found more love than we have ever known,” he said.
Spencer Hatcher, the couple’s 31-year-old son, signed to Nashville’s Stone Country Records in October. He released new music earlier this month:
He canceled upcoming performances and asked for privacy, writing on Instagram that his family suffered a “monumental loss.”
The singer added, “We ask that everyone please respect our family’s privacy at this time.”
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