Botched Murder Plot Followed By Ex-Con's Suicide

"JONESVILLE, VA — Lee County Sheriff Gary Parsons has identified the man who is accused of shooting a man before shooting and killing himself Tuesday afternoon.

"The man, Hurley Eugene Underwood, 56, of Doris Lane in Pennington Gap, shot at a man in the woods around 2:30 p.m. before shooting himself in a high school parking lot, Parsons said in a written statement.

"The man who was shot was Caleb Lawson, 19, of Pennington Gap, the statement said.

"`Underwood lured Lawson and his girlfriend ... to a wooded area under the guise of helping him dig a hole in the ground which he told them was a deer trap,` the statement said. `As it turned out, it was an apparent grave for Lawson.`

"The girlfriend told investigators Underwood told Lawson to dig one corner out deeper, and as Lawson was in the hole, shot at him twice. One shot went through Lawson's left arm and the other lodged in his right shoulder, the statement said.

"Lawson escaped the hole and ran away, as did his girlfriend. Both called 911 for help, the statement said. Lawson was treated at Lee Regional Medical Center and released Tuesday evening.

"Underwood left the wooded area in a silver pickup truck and drove to the upper parking lot at Lee High School, the statement said. Sheriff's Office Capt. Taylor Scott saw the truck and followed it into the lot. Scott blocked the truck from going nearer to the building with his vehicle, the statement said.

"`He then left his vehicle, drew his weapon, and demanded that Underwood show his hands,` the statement said. `Underwood then lifted a .32 caliber handgun to his own head and fired, dying instantly at the scene.`

"Parsons said because Scott was there when Underwood shot himself, the Virginia State Police have been asked to handle the case.

"Underwood was convicted in 1984 of attempted rape with a deadly weapon in Indiana, according to Virginia State Police records. He was released from prison in 2005, Parsons said in the statement.

"After the first shooting, Underwood `called a family member and told them what had happened and that he was not going back to prison,` the statement said."

From TriCities.com...