Roanoke Police say man fatally stabbed his wife and then tried to kill himself overnight at a home on the 1300 block of East Salem Avenue. Officers were called just after 2:00 am and had to force their way into the home. Police say the couple’s eight children also lived in the home, ranging in age from four to 21 years old.
(Continue reading for the full Roanoke Police news release.)
Here is the full Roanoke Police news release:
The Roanoke Police Department is investigating a murder and attempted suicide that occurred on November 21, 2012. Officers responded at 2:05 a.m. to the 1300 block of Salem Avenue in reference to a call received by the Roanoke E-911 Center regarding a male who stabbed his wife and was attempting suicide. Upon arrival officers observed two males inside the residence who appeared to be juveniles. They were looking out of the window and yelling to get the officers’ attention. Officers attempted to open the door, however it was locked. They then attempted to force entry into the door, but were unable to due to a padlock on the inside of the front door. The two males were also unable to open the door due to the lock. The officers then forced entry into the residence through a window.
Upon entering the residence the two males stated to the officers that the male suspect was in the basement. Officers went to the upstairs of the residence as additional officers went to the basement. In the basement officers observed an adult male lying on the floor and another male holding a knife. The male lying on the floor was unresponsive. The male holding the knife was ordered to drop his knife and he complied. He was detained by officers. Through the course of the investigation officers determined that the male lying on the floor was the suspect, and had stabbed an adult female in the residence and then attempted suicide by hanging himself. Officers also determined that the male holding the knife was an adult son of the couple and had used the knife to cut the rope from the suspect.
The suspect was transported to Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital by Roanoke Fire/EMS. Additional officers located the adult female victim with multiple stab wounds in a bedroom in the upstairs of the residence. She was pronounced dead at the scene. The victim is identified as Mariam Ndarugiriye, age 40 of Roanoke. The suspect is identified as Claude Ndumurwanko, age 44 of Roanoke. The Police Department is consulting with the Commonwealth’s Attorneys Office and charges against the suspect are pending. The additional people inside of the residence are the couple’s eight juvenile and adult children ranging in age from 4 years old to 21 years old. None of the children were hurt during this incident. The
investigation is ongoing. The Police Department is also working with various agencies to provide proper care for the adult and juvenile children.
