W. Va. triple killing suspect arrested in Tampa

Man suspected of 1974 triple murder in West Virginia park captured in Tampa

Published On: Feb 08 2013 09:04:52 AM EST
TAMPA, Fla. -

A janitor and trash collector has been arrested in Tampa and charged with killing a woman and two men in a West Virginia park 38 years ago.

Authorities from West Virginia, along with the U.S. Marshals Office and Tampa police, arrested 59-year-old Eddie Jack Washington on Thursday. He had been living in Tampa for more than a decade.

The Tampa Bay Times (http://bit.ly/XcZC05 ) reports the triple murder happened Aug. 2, 1974 in Fairmont, W.Va. Authorities in West Virginia apparently believed the killer was in jail but refused to confess.

Officials say Washington has recently been identified as the "alleged shooter." He's accused of killing 20-year-old Lester Phillips, 19-year-old Wanda Jane Phillips and 27-year-old Billy Ray Cobb.

Washington is in the Hillsborough County Jail, awaiting extradition to West Virginia.

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