Published: November 12, 2009 11:20 pm      

Slaying suspect’s case goes to circuit court

MOOREFIELD, W.Va. — Probable cause was found Thursday to forward the case of homicide suspect Lorie Ann Taylor Keller to Hardy County Circuit Court.

Keller is accused in the shooting deaths of her ex-husband, Dennis “Chip” Taylor; his wife, Alaina; and her 5-year-old daughter, Kaylee Whetzel. Their bodies were found inside their Mathias home on state Route 259 on Oct. 23 after the home was set on fire.

Keller, 34, of Folks Run, Va., who is charged in the homicides along with her husband, Nakia Keller, appeared Thursday in a 35-minute preliminary hearing before Magistrate Craig A. Hose. She was represented by Martinsburg attorney Deborah Lawson, of the Berkeley County Public Defender’s Office.

“Probable cause was found to transfer the case to the jurisdiction of circuit court. If the defendant is indicted on Feb. 2, she would have to appear for arraignment on Feb. 3,” said Hose a short time after the hearing concluded.

Both defendants are charged with three counts of murder and one count of first-degree arson.

Autopsies determined the victims were shot in the back of the head. Investigators believe the fire was deliberately set in an effort to cover up the killings.

Both defendants remain jailed without bond at the Potomac Highlands Regional Jail in Augusta. They were arrested four days after the fire following a joint investigation by police.