Salem man charged with murder-for-hire that resulted in death of 97-year-old man

BOTETOURT CO., Va. – A Salem man has been charged with murder-for-hire following an extensive investigation by the Botetourt County Sheriff’s Office.

At approximately 9:50 a.m. on April 25, officers responded to the 4600 block of the Blue Ridge Turnpike after Botetourt EMS received a call of an unresponsive 97-year-old woman. Upon arrival, officers discovered the woman was deceased.

According to the Botetourt County Sheriff’s Office, the victim’s body was transported to the Roanoke Medical Examiner’s Office where an autopsy was performed and the manner of death was ruled a homicide.

The victim has been identified as 97-year-old Cathrine Graff from Fincastle. BCSO detectives worked with the Medical Examiner’s Office and the Commonwealth Attorney’s Office to uncover evidence indicating that a family member was the mastermind of the murder-for-hire against the victim.

Through their investigative efforts, BCSO investigators identified 53-year-old James Hopper of Fincastle as the suspected mastermind and 30-year-old Steven Fowler of Salem as the person who ordered the murder.

During the course of the investigation, Hopper took his own life and on December 3, investigators filed a charge of aggravated murder-for-hire with Fowler.

According to BCSO, Fowler has been incarcerated at the Botetourt Craig Regional Jail since April 26 and is being held without bail.

“I want to commend our investigators for their tireless efforts to uncover the truth behind this tragic case,” said Sheriff Matthew Ward. “Thanks to the careful work of our investigators, we were able to identify those responsible for this cowardly and evil act. The justice system doesn’t take a day off, and neither do we.”

BCSO says the investigation is evolving and this information is based on a preliminary and ongoing investigation.