The man who police say killed three members of a Riverside family on Friday had served as a law enforcement officer in Virginia for less than a year at the time of the attack and managed to hide any dark secrets during his training, background checks and work, officials in that state said Monday, Nov. 28.
Austin Lee Edwards, 28, graduated from the Virginia State Police Academy on Jan. 21, 2022, and passed written, psychological, and physical testing, as well as a lie-detector test, before being hired by Virginia State Police, said Corinne N. Geller, a department spokeswoman. Edwards resigned on Oct. 28.
“During Edwards’ short tenure with the department, he never exhibited any behaviors to trigger any internal administrative or criminal investigations,” Geller said.
She added that state law requires certain personnel records to be disclosed to law enforcement, and no such records existed to provide to future employers.
The Washington County Sheriff’s Office then hired Edwards on Nov. 16, and he was going through orientation before being assigned to the patrol division, the Sheriff’s Office said. No past employer disclosed any trouble, discipline or investigations during the background check, Washington County Sheriff Blake Andis said in a news release.
“It is shocking and sad to the entire law enforcement community that such an evil and wicked person could infiltrate law enforcement while concealing his true identity as a computer predator and murderer,” Andis said in the release. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the Winek family, their friends, officers, and all of those affected by this heinous crime.”
Police say Edwards drove from Virginia to the Price Court home where a 15-year-old girl, with whom he had established an online relationship, lived. At some point, Mark Winek, 69, his wife Sharie Winek, 65, and their daughter Brooke Winek, 38, who was the teen’s mother, were slain and the house was set ablaze.
Ryan Railsback, a Riverside Police Department spokesman, declined to disclose how they were killed.
“We do know it was a very disturbing crime scene. We don’t want to make it worse for the family,” Railsback said Monday, adding that the information likely would be released after the Riverside County Coroner’s Office completes its autopsies.
Police quickly zeroed in on Edwards as the suspect.
Around 10:30 a.m., neighbors alerted police to a suspicious car with Virginia license plates that was parked in a driveway near the Winek home, Railsback said. Residents’ security video showed Edwards and the girl leaving the house and entering the car. The girl appeared to be in distress, Railsback said.
Within an hour of the discovery of the bodies just after 11 a.m., Riverside police alerted law enforcement agencies throughout Southern California to be on the lookout for a red Kia Soul with Edwards and the teen inside, Railsback said. Police still don’t know whether the teen was a kidnap victim or went willingly, he said.
“We have no reason to believe she has any involvement in the murders or the setting of the fire,” Railsback added.
A San Bernardino County sheriff’s helicopter crew, using a description of Edwards’ car, caught up with him in the Mojave Desert town of Kelso at around 1:15 p.m. Patrol deputies arrived and a pursuit took place, during which he fired upon the deputies, the Sheriff’s Department said. Deputies did not fire back, said Mara Rodriguez, a sheriff’s spokeswoman.
Edwards crashed at the end of the pursuit, got out of the car and pointed his gun at the helicopter. Deputies then shot him to death. Rodriguez said she didn’t know whether the deputies in the helicopter fired.
The 15-year-old, whose name has not been announced, escaped from the car and was not harmed. Deputies were aware that she might be with Edwards, Rodriguez said.
There is much more to investigate, Railsback said.
Police searched Edwards’ home in Virginia over the weekend, looking for computers and electronic storage devices, Railsback said. Edwards apparently was impersonating a teen online.
“What were his intentions? We want to make sure no one else was complicit in this. Is there something larger going on? Are there any other people he has victimized in some way?” he said.
Police also hope to learn whether the teen knew Edwards was coming to California and whether there was anything in his background that other law enforcement agencies missed, Railsback said. Federal authorities are also likely to be involved, he said.
Brooke Winek’s other daughter was not home at the time of the attack, Railsback said.
A GoFundMe page was established to raise money for the family.
“The Winek Family would like to thank everyone for their love, support, prayers and patience during this horrific time in our lives. Mark, Sharie and Brooke were loving people who didn’t deserve this tragedy,” a written statement released Monday by the family said.
