Via WV Regional Jail & Correctional Facility Authority.

Charles Severance, the primary suspect in a trio of Northern Virginia murders spanning 11 years, has been charged, authorities announced.

According to the Alexandria Police Department, Severance has been charged in the homicides of Ruthanne Lodato, Ron Kirby, and Nancy Dunning. A grand jury indicted Severance for a number of charges related to the investigations, including three murder charges, four counts of use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, possession of a firearm by a felon, and malicious wounding.

Severance has been locked up in a Loudoun County prison since March. He was arrested for two firearm possession charges, but he’s been the police’s chief person of interest in the three murders for some time.

In a press conference, Alexandria police’s chief Earl Cook said that they’ve been building a case against Severance since he was arrested and that it “has been a complex and time-consuming investigation that has spanned almost 11 years.” The latest of the three murders occurred in February of this year when music teacher Ruthanne Lodato was killed in her home. Police linked her murder to the shooting death Nancy Dunning in 2003, and Ron Kirby, director of transportation planning for the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, in November of last year.

“Alexandria, while not the smallest town in the United States, has a very small town feel.” Cook said in describing the emotional impact the three murders had on the Northern Virginia city.

In a statement, the office of Alexandria Commonwealth’s Attorney Bryan Porter said that “it does not intend to seek the death penalty.” The maximum penalty for Severance faces if he’s convicted on these charges is life in prison.