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Grassy Creek murders
Tree farmer, son are among three found shot to death
January 25, 2008
Independence, Va.
Three people were shot to death yesterday in Grayson County on property that belongs to a tree farmer who once donated a Fraser fir for the White House Christmas tree, authorities said.
The victims were Ronald F. Hudler, 74, of Mouth of Wilson; his son, Frederick D. Hudler, 45, of West Jefferson, N.C.; and John S. Miller, 25, also of West Jefferson, the sheriff of Grayson County, Richard A. Vaughan, said in a news release.
The shootings happened shortly before noon on Charles Spencer Drive, off Virginia 16 near the North Carolina border, and investigators remained on the scene through the night gathering evidence, according to the sheriff's office.
The elder Hudler owned and operated Hudler Carolina Tree Farms with his three sons, according to the company's Web site.
The company has several farms in North Carolina and Grayson County. Ronald Hudler also was the chairman of the N.C. Department of Labor's Agricultural Safety and Health Council.
In 1995, an 18-foot-tall tree from a Hudler farm became the White House Christmas tree.