Lyon sisters case suspect makes first court appearance
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Version 0 of 1. BEDFORD, Va. — Lloyd Welch, a former carnival worker charged in the killing of two young sisters in Maryland 40 years ago, made his first appearance in court here Thursday, saying, “I need an attorney,” during the brief proceeding. The hearing was largely procedural but marked a new phase in the well-followed case of Sheila Lyon, 12, and Katherine Lyon, 10. The Lyon sisters’ disappearance remains an indelible crime for many in the Washington region. On a March day in 1975, the two young girls walked to a shopping mall to look at Easter decorations and never returned. [The Lyon sisters case: A painstaking search for justice and answers] Thursday’s hearing lasted about seven minutes. Wearing an orange prisoner jumpsuit, Welch, 58, arrived at the courthouse garage just after 9:30 a.m. via a transport van from jail. He declined to comment as reporters shouted questions while he was walked into the building by Bedford County Sheriff Mike Brown and sheriff’s investigator Mike Mayhew. Welch is charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the course of an abduction. Bedford County Commonwealth’s Attorney Randy Krantz has said the murder charges against Welch carry a possible death sentence. At 10 a.m., Welch, shuffling in leg shackles, was led into a large, third-floor courtroom and took a seat at a table in front of Bedford Circuit Judge James W. Updike Jr. The judge advised Welch of his right to an attorney as part of standard proceedings. “I need an attorney,” he said. Updike began asking Welch questions designed to determine whether he would qualify to have a lawyer appointed to his case. “I want appointed counsel,” Welch said. After more questions, Updike said that Welch qualified for court-appointed counsel. Updike assigned two lawyers who are qualified for appointment to death-penalty cases in Virginia: Aaron B. Houchens and Anthony F. Anderson. Houchens was in court Thursday. He followed Welch out a side door of the courtroom, and it appeared that they met privately. After he emerged, Houchens declined to comment. Detectives worked on the Lyon sisters case for four decades, identifying Welch as a suspect in 2013. At the time, he was serving a long sentence in Delaware for the sexual assault of a 10-year-old girl. Welch was transported to Virginia from Delaware’s James T. Vaughn Correctional Center on Tuesday, said Jason Miller, a spokesman for the Delaware Department of Correction. Detectives say they think that Welch abducted the sisters from the Wheaton Plaza mall and that their bodies were disposed of in Bedford, about 200 miles southwest of the District, according to court documents. Over the past year, officials have made no secret that they suspect others were involved in the abduction and slaying of the Lyon sisters. [Police: Welch abducted Lyon sisters to sexually exploit them] A year ago, they named Welch’s uncle, Richard Welch, as a “person of interest” in the case. According to court records, Lloyd Welch has told detectives that he left Wheaton Plaza on March 25, 1975, with the Lyon sisters, his uncle and another relative. Richard Welch, 70, has not been charged in the case, and Krantz declined Thursday to comment on his status in the investigation. Richard Welch has declined to comment. His attorney said he maintains his innocence. His daughter, Patricia Ann Welch, has said he is innocent. |