THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, March 7, 1995 TAG: 9503070280
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MIKE MATHER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Medium: 79 lines
Police were searching late Monday for a teenage couple who went on the lam after a third teen was fatally stabbed in a home near Salem High School.
Police and witnesses said Joseph D. Garcia III, 17, staggered from a two-story home on Marmora Road and climbed into a burgundy Honda sedan shortly after 1:30 p.m. But Garcia, a Salem High student, drove only a few yards before collapsing behind the wheel.
The car stopped at the intersection of Marmora Road and Gravenhurst Drive, three houses from the residence Garcia had fled.
Then, according to witnesses, 18-year-old Joshua M. Johnson and his girlfriend, 17-year-old Kelly Anne Dara, ran from the house. They were last seen sprinting along the bank of a canal toward Indian River Road.
Dara is a student at Salem High School, police said. Johnson, of the 1000 block of Pleasant Circle, is a former student who has outstanding warrants for failing to appear in court on burglary and grand larceny charges, police said.
He is wanted on murder charges, and Dara is wanted for questioning, police spokesman Mike Carey said.
Police believe Dara was not involved in the slaying, but she could be charged with being an accessory to the homicide if she helps Johnson elude authorities.
Neither had been located as of midnight Monday. Dara's parents gave permission to use their daughter's name in the hope that someone would spot her and call police.
``I just want my daughter home,'' Joseph Dara said. ``My wife is worried; I am worried. We're not going to sleep tonight, I can tell you that.''
Joseph Dara said he was told his daughter and Johnson may be heading south, possibly to North Carolina. Kelly Dara had packed clothes but left without them, her father said.
Neither of the teens is believed to have access to a car, but they have enough money for bus fare, Joseph Dara said.
Police dogs failed to track the couple, and the teens also slipped past officers who had fanned out through the neighborhood.
Police found a discarded kitchen knife in the neighborhood, but it is not known if that is the weapon used in the slaying, Carey said.
He said detectives aren't sure what led to the stabbing, the city's second homicide of the year.
Garcia, who lived in the 4200 block of Derby Wharf Drive, was an acquaintance of Johnson's and Dara's, Carey said. He was visiting the Dara residence when he was stabbed. Police are investigating whether an argument over the girl led to a confrontation between the boys. No adults were home at the time, Carey said.
Johnson didn't do well in school, a former classmate said. Johnson had planned to join the military with his fraternal twin brother, the classmate said.
Police described Johnson as white, about 5 feet 9 inches tall and 130 pounds. He has blue eyes and blond hair cut short on the sides and left long in the back.
Kelly Dara is about 5 feet 3 inches tall and 110 to 120 pounds. She has hazel eyes and shoulder-length curly red hair. She is fair-skinned and has freckles on her cheeks and across the bridge of her nose. MEMO: Anyone who has seen Johnson or Dara is asked to call Crime Solvers at
427-0000.
ILLUSTRATION: Photo by STEVE EARLEY, Staff
Police dogs tried but failed to track the teenage couple who fled
after a third teen was stabbed to death near Salem High School.
Photos
Jospeh D. Garcia III
Kelly A. Dara, 17
Map
KEYWORDS: MURDER STABBING by CNB