Virginia cop pretended to be 17, ‘groomed’ Riverside girl before killing her family

The 28-year-old Virginia cop who killed three family members of a Riverside teenager had posed online as a teen to “groom” the 15-year-old girl, the Riverside Police Department said Wednesday.

Austin Lee Edwards, who drove cross country to the girl’s home, portrayed himself as a 17-year-old online, using “grooming” methods such as asking for or trading sexually explicit images, providing gifts such as drugs, alcohol or gift cards and giving out compliments, Riverside Police Chief Larry Gonzalez said Wednesday at a news conference. He said it is still under investigation how long the digital relationship between Edwards and the teen girl transpired and on what platform they used to meet or communicate.

Police believe Edwards, who was a newly sworn-in law enforcement officer in rural southwest Virginia, connected with the teen girl by “catfishing” — pretending to be someone he’s not. Then he drove across the country to her home in Riverside, where he killed her mother and grandparents and set fire to the home, before driving off with the girl. His vehicle was later stopped in San Bernardino County, where he was killed in a shootout with local police. The girl was not harmed and is in the care of child protective services, officials said.

The three family members killed were identified as Mark Winek, 69, a longtime baseball and softball coach at Arlington High School; his wife, Sharie Winek, 65, a devoted mother and grandmother; and their daughter, Brooke Winek, 38, a single mother of two teenage girls. They all lived together in the Riverside house.

The second daughter was not home at the time of the killings, police said.

“[Mark] Winek was an esteemed coach for close to a decade at Arlington High School,” the Riverside Unified School District wrote in a statement. “His passion for the game and students will be extremely missed.”

The statement said the school district will have an extra team of counselors available for staff and students to provide additional emotional support.

Police were first notified of a situation afoul on the Winek family’s cul-de-sac Friday morning, when neighbors called in about a female teenager who appeared to be distressed while getting into a red Kia Soul with a male driver. Soon after, calls came in about a fire at the Wineks’ home.

While firefighters responded, they found three bodies in the entryway of the home, and upon pulling them outside, officials quickly ruled their deaths a homicide.

Riverside police spokesperson Ryan Railsback didn’t expound on the cause of death or injuries but called it a “very disturbing crime scene.” He also said it appeared the fire was “intentionally ignited.”

Several hours later and almost 200 miles from the home, authorities spotted Edwards’ vehicle in Kelso, part of unincorporated San Bernardino County, according to a statement from the sheriff-coroner.

When a SWAT team attempted to intercept Edwards’ car, he led local deputies on a chase, during which he shot at the SWAT vehicle multiple times, officials said. Eventually, Edwards drove off the road, and San Bernardino County sheriff’s deputies rescued the teen, who had been inside the car during the chase, the statement said.

Deputies said that when Edwards pointed a gun at a Sheriff’s Department helicopter, deputies fired at Edwards, killing him.

About 10 days before he arrived in Riverside, Edwards was hired as a deputy for the Washington County Sheriff’s Office in Virginia, officials said. Before that, he was an officer with the Virginia State Police.

Washington County Sheriff Blake Andis and a spokesperson for the Virginia State Police said none of Edwards’ prior employers had disclosed having had issues with him. Corinne Geller, the state police spokesperson, said that during Edwards’ 15-month tenure at the agency, he “never exhibited any behaviors to trigger any internal administrative or criminal investigations.” During his background and psychological tests, there weren’t “any indicators of concern,” she said.

Edwards resigned from the Virginia State Police on Oct. 28, according to Geller, and started with the Sheriff’s Office about three weeks later.

Edwards was hired as a patrol deputy with the Sheriff’s Office in rural, southwest Virginia on Nov. 16. Andis said Edwards had started orientation at his agency and had been assigned to the patrol division.

The 28-year-old Virginia cop who killed three family members of a Riverside teenager had posed online as a teen to “groom” the 15-year-old girl, the Riverside Police Department said Wednesday.

Austin Lee Edwards, who drove cross country to the girl’s home, portrayed himself as a 17-year-old online, using “grooming” methods such as asking for or trading sexually explicit images, providing gifts such as drugs, alcohol or gift cards and giving out compliments, Riverside Police Chief Larry Gonzalez said Wednesday at a news conference. He said it is still under investigation how long the digital relationship between Edwards and the teen girl transpired and on what platform they used to meet or communicate.

Police believe Edwards, who was a newly sworn-in law enforcement officer in rural southwest Virginia, connected with the teen girl by “catfishing” — pretending to be someone he’s not. Then he drove across the country to her home in Riverside, where he killed her mother and grandparents and set fire to the home, before driving off with the girl. His vehicle was later stopped in San Bernardino County, where he was killed in a shootout with local police. The girl was not harmed and is in the care of child protective services, officials said.

The three family members killed were identified as Mark Winek, 69, a longtime baseball and softball coach at Arlington High School; his wife, Sharie Winek, 65, a devoted mother and grandmother; and their daughter, Brooke Winek, 38, a single mother of two teenage girls. They all lived together in the Riverside house.

The second daughter was not home at the time of the killings, police said.

“[Mark] Winek was an esteemed coach for close to a decade at Arlington High School,” the Riverside Unified School District wrote in a statement. “His passion for the game and students will be extremely missed.”

The statement said the school district will have an extra team of counselors available for staff and students to provide additional emotional support.

Police were first notified of a situation afoul on the Winek family’s cul-de-sac Friday morning, when neighbors called in about a female teenager who appeared to be distressed while getting into a red Kia Soul with a male driver. Soon after, calls came in about a fire at the Wineks’ home.

While firefighters responded, they found three bodies in the entryway of the home, and upon pulling them outside, officials quickly ruled their deaths a homicide.

Riverside police spokesperson Ryan Railsback didn’t expound on the cause of death or injuries but called it a “very disturbing crime scene.” He also said it appeared the fire was “intentionally ignited.”

Several hours later and almost 200 miles from the home, authorities spotted Edwards’ vehicle in Kelso, part of unincorporated San Bernardino County, according to a statement from the sheriff-coroner.

When a SWAT team attempted to intercept Edwards’ car, he led local deputies on a chase, during which he shot at the SWAT vehicle multiple times, officials said. Eventually, Edwards drove off the road, and San Bernardino County sheriff’s deputies rescued the teen, who had been inside the car during the chase, the statement said.

Deputies said that when Edwards pointed a gun at a Sheriff’s Department helicopter, deputies fired at Edwards, killing him.

About 10 days before he arrived in Riverside, Edwards was hired as a deputy for the Washington County Sheriff’s Office in Virginia, officials said. Before that, he was an officer with the Virginia State Police.

Washington County Sheriff Blake Andis and a spokesperson for the Virginia State Police said none of Edwards’ prior employers had disclosed having had issues with him. Corinne Geller, the state police spokesperson, said that during Edwards’ 15-month tenure at the agency, he “never exhibited any behaviors to trigger any internal administrative or criminal investigations.” During his background and psychological tests, there weren’t “any indicators of concern,” she said.

Edwards resigned from the Virginia State Police on Oct. 28, according to Geller, and started with the Sheriff’s Office about three weeks later.

Edwards was hired as a patrol deputy with the Sheriff’s Office in rural, southwest Virginia on Nov. 16. Andis said Edwards had started orientation at his agency and had been assigned to the patrol division.