Man arrested in Vienna murder case | News, Sports, Jobs

Collins

VIENNA – According to a press release from the Vienna Police Chief, a man was arrested Sunday in Harrison County for the murder of a woman in Vienna on Saturday.

On Saturday, July 20, 2024, Vienna Police were called to an unconscious person at 1000 19th Street Apartment 6 in Vienna at around 3:57 p.m., according to a press release from Vienna Police Chief Carl Powell. Officers found a dead woman inside suffering from an apparent gunshot wound. The person was found by a family member who immediately called 9-1-1.

The woman was identified by police as 22-year-old Morgan Lee Lott (Stutler), the press release said.

The Vienna police have begun securing the crime scene and collecting information on the case, the press release said.

“While a search warrant was obtained for the crime scene, additional investigators interviewed witnesses and gathered additional information.“, Powell wrote in the press release. “As a result, a suspect, Hearl Thomas Collins, was identified.”

Vienna police, with assistance from Parkersburg detectives, investigated the crime scene and collected evidence. Arrangements were made with the medical examiner’s office to transport the deceased to the West Virginia Medical Examiner for an autopsy, the news release said.

“The Vienna police detectives worked through the night and continued their investigation into the murder of Mrs Lott. They also followed up on further leads concerning Mr Collins,” Powell wrote in his press release.

Working with the United States Marshals Office and West Virginia State Police, officers found Collins, 31, at a residence in Stonewood, W.Va., in Harrison County, the release said.

With the help of the information gathered during their investigation, the Vienna police officers obtained an arrest warrant against Collins for the premeditated murder of Morgan Lee Lott (Stutler), the press release states.

At around 9 a.m. on Sunday, Harrison County SWAT units executed the arrest warrant against Collins at the apartment, the press release said. Collins was arrested and transported away without incident, the press release continued.

“The investigation into this incident is ongoing,” Powell wrote.

Multiple law enforcement agencies assisted the Vienna Police Department with this incident by gathering information, sharing resources, and canvassing possible locations for the suspect. The Vienna Police Department was assisted in this investigation by the United States Marshals Office, West Virginia State Police, Parkersburg Police Department, Harrison County Sheriff’s Office, Wood County Prosecutor’s Office, and Wood County Coroner’s Office.