Leyla Namiranian, 41-- Missing 4/4/12

New leads in Chesterfield woman's disappearance

Posted: Jun 07, 2012 9:14 PM CDT
Updated: Jun 08, 2012 9:31 AM CDT
By Sarah Bloom - bio | email

(Video)



CHESTERFIELD, VA (WWBT) - Police searched a Richmond apartment and seized a car belonging to a person of interest in the disappearance of a Chesterfield woman.

Leyla Namiranian hasn't been heard from since early April. The person of interest is a man she knew and who has been in the Richmond area for a while. Police won't reveal his identity or how they knew each other. The man has not been named a suspect and doesn't face any charges.

Police say they took clothing that belonged to the man from the apartment and car and are conducting forensic tests on it now. They won't comment as to whether there were any suspicious stains on it and court records for the search warrants are sealed right now.

http://www.nbc12.com/story/18733806/missing-woman-update

Missing woman, Leyla Namiranian, phones recovered

Posted on: 11:25 pm, June 7, 2012, by Alix Bryan, updated on: 09:44am, June 8, 2012

(VIDEO)



RICHMOND, Va. (WTVR) New developments in the disappearance of Leyla Namiranian, an Altria employee last seen in early April.

Police said they have interviewed a man they call a person of interest, and they say he has not been cooperative.

“I`m not at liberty to discuss that,” said Lt. Randy Horowitz with the Chesterfield Police Department when CBS 6 asked for the man’s name.

But Horowitz said they identified him as a person of interest soon after 41-year-old Leyla Namiranian disappeared on April 4.

Horowitz said within days, they searched the man’s apartment in the 3800 block of Chamberlayne avenue in Richmond, and seized his car.

“And we continue to hold that vehicle, we have searched that vehicle extensively and we are waiting on the results of tests we have conducted on it,” he said.

Police also confirmed that two of her cell phones were recovered within one week of her disappearance.

“One was in the roadway, and another one was lying in a ditch adjacent to the roadway in the same general area, but within a few miles of eachother,” said Horowitz.

http://wtvr.com/2012/06/07/police-recover-two-phones-of-missing-chesterfield-woman/

Residents: No sign of Leyla Namiranian at man’s apartment

Posted on: 10:21 pm, June 8, 2012, by Shelby Brown and Mike Bergazzi, updated on: 10:22pm, June 8, 2012

(VIDEO)


Related Articles:

http://wtvr.com/2012/06/08/residents-no-sign-of-leyla-namiranian-at-person-of-interests/

CBS6 WTVR.com

Articles:

Search Results for: Leyla Namiranian

http://wtvr.com/?s=Leyla+Namiranian&search_submit=

Another Woman Missing in Virginia: Where Is Darrell Rice?

May 8, 2012
Betty Jean Steinshouer

The question again haunts families and friends of missing and dead women, as the disappearance of Leyla Namiranian drags on. The niece of Kelly Catalano, who turned up missing and then dead during Darrell Rice's next-to-last release from federal prison in December 2009, wrote recently to Suite 101: "still looking for answers! Is this man out of jail again? There is another woman from Chesterfield VA missing similar to Kelly and Jill. Her name is Leyla Namiranian."

Read more:

http://suite101.com/article/another-woman-missing-in-virginia--where-is-darrell-rice-a407328

Man Questioned over Missing US Researcher

Police in Chesterfield, Virginia, USA have searched the car and appartment of a man connected with missing Research Director Leyla Namiranian, but not yet made an arrest. Earlier, officers found two of her cell phones on different roads nearby.

41-year-old Namiranian, Director of Marketing and Consumer Research for US firm Altria Client Services, disappeared in April without notifying friends or colleagues. At the time her ex-husband Babak Namiranian said Leyla told her brother she had met someone online and planned to meet him.

Police this week would not comment on whether the man questioned was likely to be the same person, and would not release his name or say if an arrest was likely, but said he has ‘not been co-operative’ and confirmed that he and Namiranian were ‘not strangers’ and had known each other for a while.

http://www.mrweb.com/drno/news15580.htm

Person of interest in Chesterfield disappearance speaks out

By: MARK BOWES AND REED WILLIAMS | Richmond Times-Dispatch
Published: June 09, 2012 Updated: June 09, 2012 - 12:00 AM

The Richmond man identified by police as the primary person of interest in the disappearance of Altria research director Leyla Namiranian told police that he had been dating her around the time of her April 4 disappearance, authorities said Friday.

"They're social acquaintances who may have had some romantic contact at some point," said Chesterfield police Capt. David Pritchard. "We haven't proven that. He acknowledged knowing her and the relationship."

The primary person of interest, Michael Anthony Edwards, a 51-year-old laborer, said in a phone interview Friday evening that he and Namiranian are friends and that he had nothing to do with her disappearance.

Pritchard also addressed the Police Department's frustration with what he described as a lack of cooperation from another man who is also a person of interest in the case. Police believe that man, Peter Paoli, a recently retired Altria executive, was the last person to speak with Namiranian and likely the last person to see her before she disappeared.

Read more:

http://www2.timesdispatch.com/news/2012/jun/09/tdmain01-person-of-interest-in-chesterfield-womans-ar-1976660/

Police have person of interest in disappearance of Altria director

By: MARK BOWES AND REED WILLIAMS | Richmond Times-Dispatch
Published: June 07, 2012
Updated: June 07, 2012 - 10:13 PM

~Sipped~

Leyla Namiranian's ex-husband, Babak Namiranian, said last month that police found one of her phones in some woods and another on a street.

Besides the two phones, the only other item that appeared to be missing from her home was a tan purse, according to the affidavit.

Horowitz said investigators have been unable to confirm a report that Leyla Namiranian had met a man online and was planning to meet him in person before she disappeared. That's what Namiranian's brother, who lives in Italy, told her ex-husband, who lives in the Seattle area, when the two talked shortly after her disappearance, Babak Namiranian told the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

We have looked at her computer records, and we don't see anything showing that she had some meeting set up," Horowitz said. "But again, that doesn't mean she didn't. We just can't independently confirm it."

The warrants that investigators used to search Namiranian's Chesterfield home and the person of interest's apartment and car remain sealed in Chesterfield and Richmond circuit courts.

Horowitz said police are still investigating Namiranian's disappearance as a missing-person case and not as a death investigation. "We're still unable to find her," he said.

Namiranian was last seen about 6:30 p.m. April 4 leaving Altria Group Inc. in Henrico County, where she works. Investigators believe she returned to her home that evening but did not go to work the following day.

Court documents obtained Thursday show that another man, Peter Paoli, the former president and chief executive officer of U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company LLC, a subsidiary of Altria Group, was with Namiranian the evening of April 4. Based on available phone records, Paoli was the last person to speak with Namiranian and possibly the last person to see her before she disappeared, an affidavit says.

Paoli has not been charged and is not the primary focus in the case, police said.

According to the affidavit, Paoli contacted police after Namiranian disappeared and told them he had visited her home in the Midlothian area for dinner April 4 and stayed from about 9 p.m. until 11 p.m.

Investigators obtained a saliva sample from Paoli, according to court records. The saliva sample was taken to compare Paoli's DNA against DNA evidence obtained at Namiranian's home, according to the affidavit.

http://www2.timesdispatch.com/news/local-crime/2012/jun/07/10/new-leads-in-case-of-missing-midlothian-woman-ar-1973341/

CBS6 WTVR.com

Tag Archives: Leyla Namiranian



http://wtvr.com/tag/leyla-namiranian/

Person of interest in Midlothian disappearance contacts NBC12

Submitted by NBC12 News Staff
Saturday, June 9th, 2012, 12:43pm

A man claiming to be a person of interest in the disappearance of a Midlothian woman has reached out to NBC12.

When asked by NBC12's Sarah Bloom if he had anything to do with Leyla Namiranian's disappearance, or if he killed her, the man said, "No."

41-year-old Leyla Namiranian was reported missing in early April. Namiranian's employers called police when she didn't show up to work. Investigators say there were no signs of struggle at Namiranian's home on Normandstone Drive. We're told Namiranian mostly kept to herself.

"I didn't see her that night," the man told NBC12. "I have nothing to do with it."

http://midlothian.nbc12.com/news/news/80685-person-interest-midlothian-disappearance-contacts-nbc12

Police say key witness in case of missing woman isn't talking

Posted: Jun 11, 2012 4:07 PM CDT
Updated: Jun 11, 2012 4:34 PM CDT
By Tara Morgan

(VIDEO)

CHESTERFIELD, VA (WWBT) - Chesterfield police said a key witness in a woman's mysterious disappearance is holding up the case.

41-year-old Leyla Namiranian has been missing for more than two months now. Police said a Richmond man believed to be the last to see her is no longer talking to investigators.

A search warrant affidavit states Namiranian did not leave her home voluntarily. It also tells us what she was doing the night before she was reported missing. Police said a key witness could fill in some blanks, but isn't!

He's identified in the search warrant as Peter Paoli. Police said he worked with Namiranian at one point at Altria.

"Primarily, he's probably a witness. We don't have any evidence he committed a crime, but at this point we can't rule him out," said Chesterfield Captain David

http://www.nbc12.com/story/18759333/police-say-key-witness-in-case-of-missinng-woman-isnt-talking

Altria exec. hires attorney in missing Chesterfield woman case

Posted on: 12:09 am, June 12, 2012, by Alix Bryan, updated on: 12:19am, June 12, 2012

(VIDEO)

CHESTERFIELD, Va. (WTVR)–Police continue to search for Leyla Namiranian, and say they have some questions for a former executive where she worked. They released new information about the investigation of the missing Chesterfield woman.

It’s a missing person’s mystery, with crucial information within reach, that’s how Chesterfield police describe the case–information from two guys police say she knew well.

Chesterfield police have released the name of an Altria executive that may have crucial information to the disappearance of Namaranian, who was the director of marketing and consumer research at Altria.

CBS 6 will not use his name because he has not been charged with a crime relating to her case.

http://wtvr.com/2012/06/12/altria-exec-hires-attorney-in-missing-chesterfield-woman-case/

Person of interest in case of missing Midlothian woman has violent past

By: Mark Bowes | Richmond Times-Dispatch , Reed Williams | Times-Dispatch

Published: June 13, 2012 Updated: June 13, 2012 - 12:00 AM

A Richmond man identified by police as the primary person of interest in the disappearance of an Altria research director has a violent criminal history that includes convictions for stabbing a former girlfriend with a butcher knife and assaulting her 10-year-old child in 1990.

Michael Anthony Edwards, 51, was sentenced to 20 years in prison with 10 years suspended for maliciously wounding a woman he lived with while married to his current wife in a sudden attack outside her residence.

In testimony at his trial, the victim said Edwards stood over her and stabbed her repeatedly while saying, "If I can't have you, nobody else is going to have you, either," according to a transcript. She was stabbed three times in the mouth and under her left arm, collapsing a lung.

Read more:

http://www2.timesdispatch.com/news/2012/jun/13/main-person-interest-case-missing-altria-worker-ha-ar-1983916/

Witness In Case Of Missing Chesterfield Woman Refuses To Meet With Police

Posted: Jun 13, 2012 4:07 AM CDT
Updated: Jun 13, 2012 4:12 AM CDT

(VIDEO)

CHESTERFIELD, VA—A key witness in the case of a missing Chesterfield woman is refusing to speak with police.

Peter Paoli, a former Altria co-worker of Leyla Namiranian, is now refusing to speak with detectives, according to police.

"We believe he has valuable evidence that will assist us in determining where Ms. Namiranian is," said Capt. David Pritchard with the Chesterfield Police Department

Paoli is likely the last person to see Namiranian before she went missing, according to police.

Chesterfield police said Wednesday that Peter Paoli initially agreed to meet with them, but never followed through with that request.

http://www.wric.com/story/18774224/witness-in-case-of-missing-chesterfield-woman-refuses-to-meet-with-police

Red flags raised in missing woman case

Posted on: 7:08 pm, June 14, 2012, by Catie Beck, updated on: 01:05am, June 15, 2012

(VIDEO)

CHESTERFIELD, Va. (WTVR)–The criminal past of one person of interest in the Leyla Namiranian case is as long as it is violent.

Court records indicate that in 1991 the man, who CBS 6 is choosing not to identify, was convicted of the gruesome stabbing of his ex-girlfriend. Records indicate that the female victim almost died and the crime happened in front of her children.

“Having someone with such a violent past is something that draws a lot of suspicion,” said Capt. David Pritchard of the Chesterfield Police Department.

At the sentencing hearing for the malicious wounding conviction, the person of interest’s lawyers spoke on his behalf and asked the judge for leniency despite the violent nature of what had happened.

http://wtvr.com/2012/06/14/person-of-interest-raises-red-flag-in-missing-woman-case/

DNA Evidence in Namaranian Case 'Inconclusive'

August 2 2012

Investigators in the case of missing Altria employee Leyla Namiranian are 'no closer to solving it', according to sources.

Sources said to be 'close to the investigation' told CBS 6's Angela Pellerano that relevant items sent last week to the state crime lab in the hope of identifying a suspect, have proven inconclusive. Investigators say they may now take fresh DNA samples from two persons of interest in the case, to confirm there has been no error with previous samples.

http://www.mrweb.com/drno/news15866.htm

Missing woman’s ex-husband doesn’t understand why case is going cold

Posted on: 12:00 am, November 2, 2012, by Angela Pellerano

(VIDEO)

Midlothian, Va. (WTVR) – On a clear November day, the home of Leyla Namiranian remains empty.

For neighbors, it’s almost eerie that Namiranian vanished without a trace.

“There`s a yard crew that works on her yard, and I often wonder what`s going on with the case,” says neighbor, Melissa Gilmore.

And the answer from Chesterfield County Police: nothing new to report.

CBS 6 spoke to Namiranian’s ex-husband, Babak Namiranian, from Seattle. He says after the divorce, the two remained friends.

He says he cannot understand why there has been no real development in her case.

Read more:

http://wtvr.com/2012/11/02/missing-womans-ex-husband-says-he-cant-understand-why-there-are-no-developments-in-the-case/

Investigation ongoing in the missing Altria director case

Posted: Dec 20, 2012 6:42 AM CST
Updated: Dec 20, 2012 6:42 AM CST
By Marcos Chappell

RICHMOND, VA (WWBT) - Altria Research Director, Leyla Namiranian has been missing for nine months. Police say they have a long way to go in the investigation.

According to the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Chesterfield Police plan to release new details about the case next week.

The report includes new testimony from Namiranian's friends, who say they were worried about the 41-year-old after her split with Michael Edwards.

Read more:

http://www.nbc12.com/story/20391041/investigation-ongoing-in-the-missing-altria-director-case

Police: Missing Midlothian woman feared for her safety

Posted on: 11:58 pm, December 20, 2012, by Alix Bryan

(VIDEO)

CHESTERFIELD, Va. (WTVR)–Chesterfield Police have released new details about what happened before and after 41-year-old Leyla Namiranian from Midlothian was reported missing on April 4.

Friends of Namiranian told detectives that prior to her disappearance, she feared for her safety, saying that an ex-boyfriend had come to her house uninvited and threatened her.

Police tell CBS 6 that man is Michael Anthony Edwards, 51, of Richmond. Investigators identify Edwards as the primary person of interest in this case.

While he has not been charged in connection with Namiranian’s disappearance, investigators say Edwards’ phone records indicate he was on Robius Road near her home the night before she was reported missing.

Read more:

http://wtvr.com/2012/12/20/police-missing-midlothian-woman-feared-for-her-safety/

Search warrants unsealed in Altria executive’s disappearance

Posted on: 1:23 pm, December 27, 2012, by Jennifer Burns and Jake Burns, updated on: 06:49pm, December 27, 2012

(VIDEO)

CHESTERFIELD (WTVR) – Court documents in the case of an Altria executive missing for more than eight months ago were unsealed Thursday and they show she was afraid of her ex-boyfriend.

The documents also indicate what was taken from the home and a car during a police investigation into the missing person case of Leyla Namiranian.

A statement from a friend of Namiranian about an ex-boyfriend led police to question Michael Anthony Edwards of Richmond.

Read more:

http://wtvr.com/2012/12/27/search-warrants-unsealed-in-altria-executives-disappearance/

Missing woman told of being choked, threatened by ex-boyfriend

Posted: Thursday, December 27, 2012 11:31 am | Updated: 3:56 pm, Tue Jan 1, 2013.

REED WILLIAMS Richmond Times-Dispatch


FAMILY PHOTO

~Snipped~

Other documents unsealed today show that Edwards’ phone records place him in the area of Namiranian’s home the night of April 4 and the following morning -- around the time she is believed to have disappeared. Cellphone records also place him in the area of I-95 where one of her phones was recovered, according to the court papers.

Authorities also searched Edwards’ Cadillac and seized several items, including duct tape, a bucket and Clorox, according to an inventory, also filed in court.

Authorities have said Edwards is a primary suspect in the disappearance of Namiranian, who still has not been found.

Edwards has a violent criminal past that includes convictions for stabbing a former girlfriend with a butcher knife and assaulting her 10-year-old child in 1990.

Read more:

http://www.timesdispatch.com/news/latest-news/missing-woman-told-of-being-choked-threatened-by-ex-boyfriend/article_d7782bd6-5042-11e2-a557-001a4bcf6878.html

Search warrants show missing Chesterfield woman feared ex-boyfriend

Posted: Dec 27, 2012 10:02 AM CST
Updated: Jan 06, 2013 10:02 AM CST
By Jessica Jaglois

(VIDEO)

CHESTERFIELD, VA (WWBT) - A missing Chesterfield woman wrote in her journal that her ex-boyfriend choked her and threatened her, leaving her in fear in the months before her disappearance, according to court documents.

~Snipped~

Search warrants unsealed Thursday in Chesterfield Circuit Court show police took several items from the home on Normandstone Drive on April 6, including a red journal. The court documents show Namiranian wrote that her ex-boyfriend Michael Edwards had said to her, "someday I'll see you out in the street and I'm gonna get you."

The journal also contained a February 19 entry which details a confrontation with Edwards, in which he choked her, documents show. The entry includes Namiranian noting Edwards' jealousy and states she was afraid of him, according to affidavits. Edwards and Namiranian had broken up three months prior to her disappearance.

Read more:

http://www.nbc12.com/story/20433048/search-warrants-show-missing-chesterfield-woman-feared-ex-boyfriend

Blood in car triggers new developments in missing woman case

Posted: Jan 15, 2013 6:47 AM CST
Updated: Jan 15, 2013 6:47 AM CST

By Mike Valerio
Posted by Phil Newsome

(VIDEO)

RICHMOND, VA (WWBT) - Police revealed a new discovery in the case of a missing Chesterfield woman. Blood was found in the trunk of a car owned by the primary person of interest.

Leyla Namiranian disappeared last April. The discovery was made by a blood-sniffing dog. A report Tuesday morning from the Richmond Times-Dispatch says investigators discovered blood traces in the trunk of her ex-boyfriend's car.

That man, Michael Anthony Edwards, is the primary person of interest in the disappearance. A CSI team found the evidence with a chemical used to reveal blood traces.

Cell phone records put Edwards near Namiranian's home for five hours the night of her disappearance April 4. They also show him near I-95, where both of Namiranian's phones were found.

Read more:

http://www.nbc12.com/story/20589327/blood-in-car-triggers-new-developments-in-missing-woman-case

One year anniversary of Chesterfield woman's disappearance

Posted: Apr 04, 2013 4:13 PM CDT
Updated: Apr 04, 2013 4:40 PM CDT
By Sarah Bloom

Leyla Namiranian

CHESTERFIELD, VA (WWBT) - Leyla Namiranian has been missing for one year and authorities have not revealed any new leads in the case. Officially, Namiranian was last seen leaving her job as an Altria Executive, one year ago April 4th. To date no charges have been pressed and no one has been arrested.

Namiranian lived in a quiet home on Normandstone Drive in Chesterfield. Police say a man named Michael Edwards may have been with her the night she disappeared. He's the man police have been circling for information in the case. Court documents revealed he was an ex-boyfriend.

Namiranian apparently wrote in a journal that Edwards told her, "Someday I'll see you out in the street and I'm gonna get you."

Cell phone records show Leyla Namiranin was near her home for 5 hours the night she went missing. Edward's phone places him in the same area. The next day, cell records show Edwards driving on 1-95, where police found one of Leyla's cell phones.

Read more:

http://www.nbc12.com/story/21884411/one-year-anniversary-of-chesterfield-womans-disappearance

Missing executive’s possessions sold as probe stalls

Altria exec’s house for sale as investigation stalls in Chesterfield

2012 PHOTO
Leyla Namiranian's home on Normandstone Drive

Posted: Saturday, September 21, 2013 12:00 am | Updated: 12:01 am, Sun Sep 22, 2013.

BY MARK BOWES Richmond Times-Dispatch

In a sign that family members of missing Altria research director Leyla Namiranian have fading hopes that she will be found alive, the Midlothian woman’s possessions were sold at auction last week and her house has been put up for sale.

A little more than 17 months after Namiranian vanished under suspicious circumstances, hundreds of her household possessions — including appliances, books, clothes and furniture — were sold Sept. 11 through Cannon’s Auctions.

The estate sale was arranged by a court-appointed conservator who was granted the authority last year to take control of her property.

Read more:

http://www.timesdispatch.com/news/local/chesterfield/missing-executive-s-possessions-sold-as-probe-stalls/article_2e88c8e6-5d07-5ee3-bc00-73f8b314f276.html

Police pursue new lead in missing Altria executive Leyla Namaranian’s case

Posted on: 7:30 pm, September 23, 2013, by Alix Bryan and Shelby Brown

VIDEO/ARTICLE:

http://wtvr.com/2013/09/23/leyla-namaranian-development-and-house-for-sale/

Ex-boyfriend charged with murder in death of missing Va. executive

By Crimesider Staff / CBS News / September 17, 2015, 5:05 PM


The body of missing Leyla Namiranian has still not been found, but a man is being charged with her murder. / WTVR

CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. -- A man has been charged with first-degree murder in the case of missing executive Leyla Namiranian. According to CBS affiliate WTVR, Michael Anthony Edwards was indicted Wednesday and taken into custody Thursday morning.

Namiranian was last seen leaving work on April 4, 2012, reports the station, and police have declared her dead, despite the fact her body is still missing.

Edwards, previously told police he was dating Namiranian at the time of her disappearance, says the station.

"There is a laundry list of evidence," that led police to take this case to a grand jury, said Chesterfield police Capt. Chris Hensley, which includes electronic evidence. "Prior to trial I don't want to go into the details of any information that was discovered in the investigation."

Earlier in the investigation, police announced Edwards' phone records placed him near Namiranian's home, the night before she was reported missing. Detectives later found two cell phones belonging to Namiranian alongside Interstate 95, one on the shoulder of the northbound lanes, near the Henrico-Hanover border, and the other in a ditch about a mile north, reports the station.

Read more:

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/ex-boyfriend-charged-with-murder-in-death-of-missing-viginia-executive/

Leyla Namiranian’s diary tells of murder suspect choking, threatening her

Posted 7:59 pm, September 17, 2015, by Alix Bryan and Mark Holmberg

HENRICO, Va. – In a search warrant from April 2012, a detective wrote that a journal was found inside Leyla Namiranian’s house which contained an entry chronicling her fear of the man now charged with her murder.

Michael Anthony Edwards was charged with first-degree murder Wednesday and taken into custody Thursday morning. He had been questioned several times by police, who said they had a “laundry list of evidence,” against him.

Though police said he was an immediate suspect, his arrest did not come until more than three years later.  With his indictment court documents have become available to the public.

~Snipped~

There have been at least two other cases in Virginia recently, where prosecutors were successful in obtaining a conviction in homicide cases, without a body.

In August 2015,  James “Todd” Kessler was convicted for second-degree murder in the death of Claudine Jaquier Gifford. In July 2014, Randy Allen Taylor was convicted  for first-degree murder and abduction with intent to defile in connection with the disappearance of missing Nelson County teenager Alexis Murphy.

Read more:

http://wtvr.com/2015/09/17/leyla-namiranians-diary-tells-of-murder-suspect-choking-threatening-her/

Richmond man indicted in death of Altria executive Leyla Namiranian, missing since 2012

Posted: Thursday, September 17, 2015 7:45 pm

BY MARK BOWES Richmond Times-Dispatch


POLICE PHOTO
Michael Anthony Edwards and Leyla Namiranian

More than three years after Altria research director Leyla Namiranian left work and was never seen again, a Richmond man she once dated and grew to fear has been charged with first-degree murder in her presumed death.

Chesterfield County authorities said their years of investigative effort finally paid off with Thursday's arrest of Michael Anthony Edwards, 55, who had been a suspect from beginning and has a violent criminal past. A Richmond multijurisdictional grand jury on Wednesday indicted Edwards on a first-degree murder count.

~Snipped~

Chesterfield will prosecute Edwards without his alleged victim’s body or even a determination of how she died. “It has been concluded that Leyla Namiranian is deceased, even though we have not recovered her remains,” Chesterfield police Capt. Chris Hensley said.

Prosecutors in two other Virginia localities have won convictions in “no-body” homicides in the past year, but the list of killers found guilty in such cases remains small.

Read more:

http://www.richmond.com/news/local/crime/article_6371906a-5f20-59cd-920f-4a148f415044.html

Chesterfield Police: Missing woman Leyla Namiranian is dead, suspect charged (Video)

Posted: Sep 17, 2015 10:41 AM CDT
Updated: Sep 17, 2015 7:48 PM CDT

By Shawn Maclauchlan



CHESTERFIELD, VA (WWBT) - Chesterfield Police have just announced that missing person Leyla Namiranian is dead, and they have charged a man with first degree murder in the case.

Namiranian's ex-boyfriend, 54-year-old Michael Edwards, was arrested Thursday with the help of Henrico Police and U.S. Marshals. Edwards was considered the primary person of interest in the case.

Police have not found Namiranian's body, but they are now classifying the case a "no-body" homicide. Police did not release many details, but Chris Hensley of the Chesterfield Police Department says, "There's a laundry list of physical evidence, electronic evidence and so forth that's involved in this case."

Trial begins in slaying of missing Altria executive Leyla Namiranian (Video)

Posted: Monday, April 18, 2016 8:49 am

By MARK BOWES • Richmond Times-Dispatch  

A Chesterfield County prosecutor on Monday told jurors they should be able to convict a man of killing an Altria executive whose body never was found after tying together all the circumstantial evidence they’ll hear during the next several days.
 
But in opening arguments during the first day of Michael Anthony Edwards’ trial in the presumed death of Leyla Namiranian, the defense countered that prosecutors have a very high burden in proving she actually died, let alone that Edwards killed his former girlfriend with premeditation.

http://www.richmond.com/news/local/crime/article_5728f620-d1bf-50b8-bf06-7258f923fd5b.html

Missing Chesterfield woman’s former boss, lover testifies at murder trial (Video)

Posted 2:09 pm, April 19, 2016, by Alix Bryan, Chelsea Rarrick and Sandra Jones, Updated at 09:38pm, April 19, 2016

RICHMOND, Va. – On day two of the murder trial for missing Chesterfield woman Leyla Namiranian, a dozen witnesses took the stand, including her former boss, and a best friend.

The trial, expected to last a week, is the first murder trial held in Chesterfield County without any evidence of the victim’s body. Former boyfriend Michael Anthony Edwards, who has pleaded not guilty, is charged with Namiranian’s murder.

Namiranian, an executive at Altria, was last seen leaving work on the evening of April 4, 2012.

Read more:

http://wtvr.com/2016/04/19/day-two-leyla-namiranian-murder-trial/

Jury listens to hours-long police interview with suspect during murder trial of former Altria executive

WRIC Newsroom | Mark Tenia
Published: April 20, 2016, 4:51 am  |  Updated: April 22, 2016, 8:08 am



CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — Today is day three in the murder trial of former Altria executive Leyla Namiranian.

Namiranian’s ex-boyfriend, Michael Edwards, has been charged in her death, even though her body has never been found.

Four years ago in 2012, Namiranian was last seen leaving her job at Altria. Edwards told police he was dating her at the time of her disappearance and authorities have said that cell phone records show him near Namiranian’s home the night before she vanished.

On Wednesday, the jury listened to a three and a half hour long interview police did with Edwards. During the interview, Edwards said he went straight home the night Namiranian was last seen and straight to work the day she was reported missing.

Read more:

http://wric.com/2016/04/20/murder-trial-of-former-altria-executive-leyla-namiranian-to-continue-today/

Edwards found guilty of 2nd degree murder in Namiranian case


Leyla Namiranian

Published:Friday, April 22nd 2016, 11:18 am CDT
Updated:Monday, May 2nd 2016, 11:33 am CDT

By Susan Bahorich, Reporter

CHESTERFIELD, VA (WWBT) - A Richmond man will spend the next 30 years of his life in prison for killing a woman whose body has never been found.

Friday evening, a jury found Michael Edwards guilty of second-degree murder in the death of his ex-girlfriend Leyla Namiranian, who went missing in April of 2012.

The jury deliberated on the case for nearly five hours before reaching a decision of second-degree murder. Though, it took the jury less than 15 minutes to decide a sentence, with Edwards spending the next three decades in prison.

After a week of testimony, a jury of six men and six women found Edwards guilty of killing Namiranian.

Chesterfield prosecutors had been looking for a first-degree murder charge but knew there could be challenges in this case since they never found Namiranian's body. “It was a first. I'm happy with the way things turned out,” said Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney Larry Hogan.

Friends and family of the Altria executive didn't have much to say as they left the courtroom, only expressing relief. “She was just a great friend,” said Kimberly Pugh

Read more:

http://www.nbc12.com/story/31793211/edwards-found-guilty-of-2nd-degree-murder-in-namiranian-case