Law enforcement agencies failed to fully investigate Austin Lee Edwards before hiring him. He later murdered three people and attempted to kidnap a teen girl.
According to court records, a judge also banned Edwards from possessing or purchasing firearms unless a judge to restore them after the stay. Evidence that Edwards was not legally permitted to possess or purchase a firearm would have been accessible to the Virginia State Police during the hiring process, thereported. Settle wrote that the investigator in possession of Edward’s application was apparently “unaware” of the requirement to search for previous mental health orders.
Eventually, Edwards strongly implied that he’d travel to see the girl, sharing the price of a plane ticket he could afford. The plan never came to fruition, and in 2016, she blocked him on Skype, after the incident that resulted in his psychiatric stay. For years Edwards attempted to contact her via alternate social media accounts. In 2020, he sent her a message on Facebook. She told him to never to contact her again and blocked his account.
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