D.C. detectives questioned residents of a Petworth home Monday after police discovered items in their backyard belonging to the community-conscious couple who were brutally slain this weekend.
The items were found behind a residence in the 600 block of Ingraham Street NW, just yards from where Michael and Virginia Spevak’s burned-out car was found early Sunday, said Inspector Rodney Parks. Police believe the killers stole the couple’s Toyota Scion and drove it into the alley, torched the vehicle and tossed the items away.
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The residents being questioned were not considered suspects at this time but potential witnesses, Parks said. Police had not found any evidence that the residents knew the Spevaks. Police said they obtained a warrant Monday to search the residence, Parks said.
The two-door 2005 Scion was found about 4 miles from the couple’s Chevy Chase area home at 5320 Belt Road. Michael Spevak, 68, was a psychiatrist who treated troubled youth out of his home office. Virginia, 67, known as Ginny, was a retired Montgomery County schoolteacher who helped inmates return to society.
On Monday, the medical examiner’s office said Michael Spevak died of sharp and blunt force injuries to the head and neck; Virginia Spevak died of sharp force injuries to the neck, chest and abdomen and blunt force injuries.
Police believe the couple was killed sometime between Thursday night and Saturday night when their bodies were found by officers, police said. Virginia was tied up on a couch and her husband lay nearby.
There was no evidence of forced entry, and detectives continue to investigate the possibility that the Spevaks might have known their attackers, including possibly some of the troubled young people that the couple helped.
Anyone with information about the crime can call police at 800-673-2777. Police accept anonymous tips and are offering $50,000 reward for information that leads to a conviction.
