Alleged ‘shopping cart’ serial killer arrested in Virginia as police say more victims may emerge
‘He preys on the weak, he preys on the vulnerable and he does unspeakable things with his victims’
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A suspected serial killer, dubbed the “shopping cart killer,” was arrested in Virginia after he was suspected to be linked to the killings of at least four women, police said on Friday.
Anthony Robinson, 35, was charged with the killing of two women in Harrisonburg in November with two counts of first-degree murder after their bodies were found in a vacant lot, police said.
Fairfax County police announced on Friday in a press conference that he is also suspected of the murder of two Washington DC women, describing him as “shopping cart killer.”
“We have a serial killer,” Fairfax County Police chief Kevin Davis said. “The good thing is he’s in custody. The challenge that remains is identifying other victims.”
He was given the name “shopping cart killer” over his alleged pattern of committing the crime and disposing the bodies of the victims. He allegedly used to meet women on dating apps and take them to hotels before killing them and using shopping carts to wheel their bodies to dispose them.
“He preys on the weak, he preys on the vulnerable, and he does unspeakable things with his victims,” he said.
“He meets his victims then at motels,” the chief explained. “After he inflicts trauma to his victims and kills them, he transports their bodies to their final resting place literally in a shopping cart.”
Mr Robinson is being probed as a person of interest after the remains of two more women were discovered on Wednesday in a large plastic container alongside a shopping card, reported WTOP news report.
One of the victims has been identified as Cheyenne Brown, 29, of Washington DC after her relatives recognised the tattoos on her body. The second victim is yet to be identified.
The officers are said they are concerned about other potential victims who are yet to be identified.
Police said they are “working backwards” to investigate the murders and find other victims.
“There is no doubt in my mind that these are not the only women,” said Chief Davis, adding that Mr Robinson lived in New York, Prince George’s County and DC.
He is currently lodged in the Rockingham-Harrisonburg Regional Jail.