Bluefield Daily Telegraph, Bluefield, WV

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July 14, 2012

Atwell murder, kidnapping suspect denied bond

By GREG JORDAN Bluefield Daily Telegraph

PRINCETON — A motion for bond has been denied for a man facing charges relating to the April murder of his wife and the abduction of his daughter.

Tracey Atwell, 38, of the Spanishburg area appeared Friday in Mercer County Court before Judge Omar Aboulhosn for a bond and motions hearing. Aboulhosn denied Atwell bond after he was arrested April 14.

During Friday’s hearing, Aboulhosn denied a new defense motion for bond and granted a motion for DNA testing. Atwell is being held at the Southern Regional Jail in Beaver.

An extensive search started April 12 after the body of Christina Marie Atwell, 33, was found at her home on Browning School Road in Rock.

Investigators estimated that she had died sometime between April 9 and April 11. Tracey Atwell was the primary suspect.

On April 12, Atwell arrived at his parents’ home on Beckley Road in Camp Creek, admitted to killing his wife, then bound them and left with his 8-year-old daughter, Porsche. Atwell fled with her in a white 1999 Jeep Laredo.

Searchers with the local West Virginia State Police, the Mercer County Sheriff’s Department, and other agencies combed the region for hours while a state police helicopter checked for any clues.

Atwell was arrested on April 14 while traveling along W.Va. 5 near the intersection of Nubbins Ridge Road and Egeria Road along the Mercer and Raleigh county line. His daughter Porsche was found safe.

— Contact Grag Jordan at gjordan@bdtonline.com

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