Son of former Va. state senator involved in murder-suicide

WASHINGTON — The son of former state Sen. Edward Houck, D-Spotsylvania, killed the boyfriend of his former domestic partner, before killing himself.

Todd Houck, the 36-year-old son of Edward Houck, confronted his former partner and her boyfriend at a Caroline County motel in Bowling Green, Virginia, around 8 a.m.

Police said Todd Houck fatally shot the boyfriend, abducted his former girlfriend, and fled north on I-95 in a Mercury Mountaineer.

As police pursued the vehicle, Todd Houck pulled over to the side of the road near mile marker 124 and shot himself. The woman was not injured.

“The incident came to a conclusion about 8:38 a.m. That’s when our troopers reported in that a gunshot had occurred, and the vehicle had stopped at that point,” said Virginia State Police Spokeswoman Corrine Geller.

The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner will conduct an autopsy.

Traffic along northbound I-95 was diverted at Thornburg for several hours as police investigated, but the interstate has reopened in both directions.

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