Sailor's wife, two men indicted on murder-for-hire charges

NORFOLK

A sailor’s wife, her alleged lover and a man from West Virginia have been indicted in the fatal shooting of a Navy officer last April.

According to the 17-page indictment, the three were seeking life insurance and other Navy benefits from the death of Ensign Cory Allen Voss.

Voss, a 30-year-old father of two, was shot multiple times inside his truck on April 29 near a Langley Federal Credit Union branch in Newport News.

Two days later, Catherina Rose Voss, 32, submitted a voucher to claim her husband’s $100,000 death gratuity, according to the indictment. Shortly after that, the document said, she submitted a claim for his $400,000 life insurance policy.

The grand jury indicted Catherina Voss and Michael Anthony Eric Draven, 27, both of Newport News, and David Anthony Runyon, 37, of Morgantown, W.Va., on charges including conspiracy to commit murder for hire and carjacking resulting in death. The three were arrested in December.

The indictment alleges that Voss and Draven had an affair after Cory Voss left on a six-month deployment of the frigate Elrod. Voss and his wife were experiencing financial difficulties, with overdue mortgage, student loans and credit card payments.

Draven and Runyon met as subjects in a medical research experiment in Baltimore, according to the indictment.

Runyon is an Army veteran experienced with firearms.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office announced the charges Friday. The grand jury issued the sealed indictment Feb. 13, according to Chuck Rosenberg, the U.S. attorney in Newport News.

Homicide detectives questioned Voss the day after her husband’s death and in intervening days. She denied having an extramarital affair, the document said, but bought jewelry for Draven during a trip to the Outer Banks less than a month after Voss’ death. She also paid six months advance rent for him.

In late November, Draven was interviewed by detectives. Days earlier, according to the indictment, he had e-mailed Runyon, telling him to lie to police about Draven’s relationship with Voss. Runyon responded with a message about the false alibi he’d given, the indictment says.

Around the same time, according to the indictment, Voss went to the federal courthouse in Newport News and tried to dissuade a witness from testifying before the grand jury. The day she was arrested, the indictment alleges, she went to the Newport News police station to try to stop Draven from talking to detectives.

At least two unnamed “cooperating witnesses” are cited. One witness claimed to have gotten a call from Voss and Runyon inquiring about killing her husband. Another witness told the grand jury that Draven called asking whether the witness knew anyone who could take care of a situation.

Runyon reportedly bought a .357 Magnum revolver in Morgantown on the day of the killing. According to the indictment, he drove to Newport News the same day.

The three communicated that day at least 23 times by telephone or text message.

If convicted, each defendant faces a maximum penalty of life in prison or death.

Kate Wiltrout, (757) 446-2629, kate.wiltrout@pilotonline.com