MERCER COUNTY, WV (LOOTPRESS) – Two Mercer County men are facing murder and robbery charges after investigators say a Princeton man was brutally killed inside his home before his vehicle was stolen and later set on fire.
According to the Princeton Police Department, officers responded around 5:01 p.m. on May 11 to an unattended death at a residence on Reed Street in Princeton.
When officers arrived, they discovered John Kirby Walker Jr. dead on the floor of a bedroom inside the home. Investigators said the bedroom was in disarray and covered in what appeared to be large amounts of blood.
Police also observed multiple lacerations to Walker’s neck and head.
During the investigation, officers learned Walker’s white Subaru Crosstrek had been stolen from the residence.
Later that evening, Mercer County 911 received reports of a vehicle fire on Brush Creek Falls Road matching the description of the stolen Subaru.
When officers arrived at the scene, they found the vehicle completely burned and still smoldering. Investigators later confirmed the burned vehicle belonged to Walker after locating the license plate at the scene.
According to police, residential surveillance cameras near the area captured two individuals running through nearby properties after the vehicle fire.
The investigation intensified the following night after officers obtained surveillance footage from the Sheetz on Courthouse Road.
Police said the footage showed Walker’s stolen Subaru arriving at the rear parking lot around 3:40 a.m. on May 12.
Investigators said the video showed two men entering the store and speaking with another customer. During the interaction, one of the suspects allegedly made a throat-slashing gesture toward the unidentified individual.
Additional surveillance footage later helped officers identify a vehicle connected to the investigation, which led authorities to identify the suspects as Michael Chapman and David Bishop.
Police later located Bishop at a residence on Old Oakvale Road, where he was taken into custody and transported to the Princeton Police Department.
Shortly afterward, officers located Chapman at the Brush Creek Holl’r Mountain Coaster, where he was also taken into custody.
According to investigators, while Chapman was being transported to the police department, he allegedly made spontaneous statements including, “How did you catch me so fast?”
Both suspects later agreed to provide recorded statements to investigators after signing Miranda waivers.
According to police, Bishop told investigators he and Chapman were walking along Thorn Street in Princeton when Walker approached them and invited them back to his house to “drink and smoke.”
Bishop stated the three traveled to Walker’s residence in Walker’s Subaru and went into a bedroom where they drank alcohol and smoked marijuana.
During the interview, Bishop alleged Walker began making sexual advances toward him and Chapman and began touching them inappropriately.
According to investigators, Bishop stated a physical altercation then broke out between Walker and Chapman.
Bishop admitted he picked up a lamp and struck Walker in the head approximately four to five times.
Police said Bishop told investigators Chapman then grabbed a knife from a dresser and began stabbing Walker. Chapman later allegedly retrieved a larger knife from the kitchen and continued attacking Walker.
According to investigators, Bishop said the two waited until Walker stopped breathing before searching the residence for the victim’s car keys.
Police said Bishop admitted they stole Walker’s Subaru and drove it until Chapman later set the vehicle on fire near Brush Creek Falls Road using a lighter.
Chapman also provided a statement to investigators that police said was largely consistent with Bishop’s account.
According to investigators, Chapman claimed he feared he was going to be sexually assaulted and grabbed a knife from a dresser before repeatedly slashing Walker’s neck.
Chapman allegedly admitted that while he attacked Walker with the knife, Bishop struck Walker with a lamp and folding chair.
Chapman further stated he later retrieved a larger knife from the kitchen to “finish him.”
According to police, Chapman admitted the pair watched Walker stop breathing before stealing the victim’s car keys and fleeing in the Subaru.
Chapman also allegedly confessed to setting the vehicle on fire and throwing his shoes into the flames in an attempt to destroy evidence.
Investigators said Chapman told police he later stripped off his clothing while fleeing on foot before returning home with Bishop.
Authorities estimated the value of Walker’s stolen Subaru Crosstrek at approximately $25,000.
The investigation remains ongoing.
