ALEXANDRIA — One of Charles Severance’s friends is providing a look into the accused killer’s life before he became the focus of an investigation.
Severance is charged with the deaths of three Alexandria residents, but Dan Mathias says, “I do not for a second believe Charles did it. I don’t believe he’s capable of committing violence on another person like that.”
Long before Severance was charged in Alexandria, Mathias says, the two of them were members of the Washington Gamers Association — a Chantilly group that met to play board games that Mathias says require a good deal of strategy. There are a handful of online records of the two competing against each other.
“He’s a smart guy. I think he’s a personable guy — easy to talk with, easy to get along with,” Mathias says.
Mathias took time off work to show his support at the latest of Severance’s hearings, at which a judge decided he will undergo a competency evaluation.
Mathias admits the two weren’t close in recent years, but says that after getting postcards from Severance when he was traveling and playing games with him for years, he can’t imagine the charges will stick.
“He does still have friends who care about him and believe he’s innocent,” Mathias says.
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