Pitchfork

Closing another chapter in a horrific saga, jurors this week recommended the death penalty for 29-year-old Ricky Javon Gray, the first of two men believed responsible for the gruesome murders of Bryan Harvey (49), his wife Kathryn Harvey (39), and their daughters, nine-year-old Stella and four-year-old Ruby. The report comes from the Richmond Times-Dispatch, and also states that Gray will be officially sentenced on October 23.

As previously reported, the Harveys were found murdered in their Richmond, Virginia home on New Year's Day of this year. Gray and alleged accomplice Ray Joseph Dandridge (who will stand trial September 18) bound and gagged the family, slit their throats, and set fire to the bodies before making off with two laptops and Bryan's wedding ring.

The two men are also charged with robbing and murdering another Richmond-area family-- husband and wife Percyell Tucker (55) and Mary Baskerville Tucker (47), and Mary's daughter Ashley Baskerville (21)-- on January 6, mere days after the Harvey tragedy.

Bryan Harvey was known as the singer/guitarist for noted rock duo House of Freaks and as a member of college rock supergroup Gutterball. A passionate musician, he had been performing as part of the band NRG Krysys at the time of his death. His wife co-ran a local toy store, World of Mirth.

In memory of the slain Harveys, friends have established the Bryan and Kathryn Harvey Family Memorial Endowment, which aims to "provide music, visual art and performing arts enrichment in the Richmond area." Learn how you can contribute by visiting the endowment's website.