Former resident charged in murder-for-hire scheme
By Alexandra Bogdanovic
While living in Fauquier County, Caren Taylor Pressley had her own business and volunteered in the community. She also wracked up a litany of speeding tickets but otherwise stayed out of trouble, General District Court records show.Now, at 47, the former Warrenton and Casanova resident — who is known as Caren Taylor Pressley Brown — is facing two counts of solicitation of murder and two counts of attempted murder.
According to a criminal complaint filed in Williamsburg- James City County General District Court, Brown was arrested on the charges shortly before 6 p.m. Aug. 1.
Police made the arrest in James City County after Brown allegedly gave an undercover Virginia State Police agent a $2,000 down payment to kill her ex-boyfriend and his wife.
Brown also provided the agent — who was posing as a hit man — the couple's address, directions to their home and pictures of them, according to the complaint.
She allegedly told the agent she was angry over a "custody situation" with her son and asked that the hit be carried out by Sunday (Aug. 3).
Some of Brown's local acquaintances have said in news reports published since her arrest that she wasn't the same after losing custody of her son in 2005.
Fauquier County Circuit Court records show that during the custody dispute, Brown tried to have her son's guardian ad litem removed from the case, citing improper conduct.
The court records show Brown also accused her son's father of assaulting the boy by hitting him in the eye.
Brown is now scheduled to appear in Williamsburg-James City County General District Court Aug. 19.
E-mail the reporter: abogdanovic@timespapers.com