On the evening of Sunday, March 22, 1992, a customer at Sugarloaf Mountain Market, located at 23800 Old Hundred Road in Comus, found the owner, 57-year-old James Essel, deceased inside the store– having been stabbed multiple times. Twenty-eight years later, in February 2020, the man whose DNA linked him to the murder was killed by Virginia Beach Police.
Investigators attempted to arrest 51-year-old Hans Huitz in February 2020 after determining that his DNA matched evidence from the 1992 crime scene in Comus, Maryland. Huitz, who had relocated to Virginia Beach in 2014, was the main suspect. A search warrant was issued for his DNA, which was analyzed in a Maryland laboratory and matched to the profile recovered from the scene.
Arrest warrants for Huitz were soon issued, and U.S. Marshals along with Virginia Beach Police worked to take him into custody on February 12, 2020. The Virginia Beach Commonwealth’s Attorney’s report stated that officers attempted a vehicle block as Huitz tried to drive away from his residence. According to the report, Huitz raised a handgun and placed it in his mouth before drawing another gun and switching it between his mouth and the side of his head.
The report states that officers made efforts to negotiate with Huitz during the ensuing standoff, but fears for their safety escalated when one of the guns was turned towards the Marshals. Huitz was struck with a round and pronounced deceased at the scene. Colin D. Stolle, the Virginia Beach Commonwealth’s Attorney, stated, “It is within my opinion that the officers were in their legal authority and were justified in the use of deadly force in the situation as it presented itself. Therefore, no charges will be prosecuted by this office against the officers for the death of Hans Huitz.”
Perpetua Edwards, Essel’s daughter, expressed her feelings about the outcome in an interview with 13NewsNow : “I wish the guy could have served time for the crime, but the fact that he… but it’s just a relief,” she said. “I just can’t even imagine, how can someone live like that all these years, knowing what he did.” In an interview with Virginia’s 13 News Now, she added, “To know that it’s over is a huge relief for me and my siblings,” and expressed her gratitude toward the detectives who treated the case like it was their own family’s.