The Briley Brothers — Virginia — 1970’s

In the history of crime, it is rare to find cases where siblings have collaborated to murder. In some instances, though, siblings have carried out prolonged murder sprees and terrorized communities around the world. This article will examine one of those cases in which siblings have been convicted of murder.

The late 1970’s brought fear into the city of Richmond, Virginia. Not knowing who would be the next victim in the Briley brothers’ killing spree caused many to stay inside their homes, hiding from a pair of murderers who randomly assassinated people for fun.

It was a reign of terror that slipped beneath the radar of law enforcement for months.

There was no sense of a common killer.

The crimes struck blacks, whites, the poor and people of better means.

The two older brothers, James and Linwood, were responsible for nearly a dozen vicious homicides during a seven month period.

They killed to eliminate witnesses to the robberies they committed, but they also seemed to take some pleasure in their work.