Bad Night On Laycock

Three people were killed inside a house in Newport early today, and a man was arrested and charged with three counts of murder.

Michael Richardson, 45, was arrested and taken to Newport police headquarters, where he was charged with murder about 10:30 a.m. after questioning by investigators, said Officer Tom Collins, spokesman for the Newport Police Department.

Events began unfolding at 6:10 a.m. when the Campbell County Central Dispatch received two emergency 911 calls, both reporting that a man in the house had killed his family and dog, Collins said. One call was from the employer of the man, the other from a person identifying himself as a son of the owners of the house.

Police set up a perimeter around the house at 15 Laycock Lane in the southern part of the city off Monmouth Street and attempted to make contact with the man, Collins said.

About 20 minutes later, the man called police dispatch, and he was patched through to police at the scene, Collins said.

"They talked for 10 to 15 minutes. He was very emotional and said he was having problems with his family," Collins said.

Richardson agreed to surrender and emerged from the house holding a semi-automatic handgun at 7:40 a.m., Collins said.

When police entered the house, they found an automatic weapon on a tripod trained on the front door, Collins said. They also found three bodies - an adult woman and a young woman and young man, who appeared to be in their late teens - and the body of a dog, Collins said. All had been shot, he said.

Police did not release the names of the victims.

After Richardson was taken into custody, police began processing the crime scene, Collins said.
The owners of the house are listed as Richardson and his wife, Joyce, according to the Campbell County Property Valuation Administrator's Office. Neighbors said Richardson, his wife and a teenage daughter lived in the house.

A neighbor who lives directly behind the Richardsons' house said he was alerted to loud noises outside by his wife.

"At 5:45, my wife came down from the bedroom and said, 'Did you hear those gunshots?' said Craig Rowekamp. "About two or three minutes later, I heard another boom. I just thought it was garbage cans rolling around. This is usually a pretty quite neighborhood."

A neighbor who lives across the street and asked not to be identified said the Richardsons were always very friendly and that she never heard of any problems at their home. The Richardsons have lived on Laycock for roughly 10 years, the neighbor said.

The neighbor said Joyce Richardson worked at McDonald's on Alexandria Pike with their daughter, who is apparently a senior in high school. Michael Richardson worked at a printing company in Boone County, police said.