The Register-Herald, Beckley, West Virginia

Police/Courts

August 29, 2008

Murder suspect arrested in Virginia

Amelia A. Pridemore

A Fayette County man charged with murder has been arrested in Virginia, authorities said.

David Lee Welch, 43, of Mount Hope, was arrested in Jamestown, Va., late Thursday night, Fayette County Sheriff Bill Laird said.

Welch is charged with the murder of Linda Kay Smith, 50, of Mount Hope, whose body was found Thursday in Welch’s home on South Virginia Avenue in Mount Hope. She had not been seen since last Saturday.

Smith and Welch were believed to have had an “ongoing relationship,” Laird said, but he declined to speculate on the nature of the relationship.

The Fayette County Sheriff’s Department was notified at 10:15 p.m. Thursday that the Jamestown (Va.) Police Department had taken Welch into custody without incident, Laird said. Welch had reportedly sought treatment for unspecified minor injuries at a hospital in Jamestown and police were notified.

Welch was being held Friday in Virginia pending an extradition hearing, Laird said.

Laird said an autopsy was performed Friday on Smith’s body and that police were awaiting the results. While they believe Smith’s death was a homicide, exactly how she died was still being determined.

According to State Police, Welch is a registered sex offender. In 1995, he was convicted of second-degree sexual assault and served about 10 1/2 years in prison. The victim was identified as an adult female acquaintance.

— E-mail: apridemore

@register-herald.com

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