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Man indicted in '96 slayings of hikers in Virginia

Ashcroft calls killings of 2 women 'hate crimes'

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Nearly six years after the bodies of two women were found with their throats slashed in Shenandoah National Park in the Virginia mountains, an incarcerated Maryland man has been indicted on charges of capital murder and a hate crime in their slayings.

With the victims' fathers looking on, U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft announced Wednesday that a federal grand jury in Charlottesville, Virginia, has indicted Darrell David Rice of Columbia, Maryland, in the 1996 slayings of hikers Julianne Marie Williams, 24, and Laura "Lollie" Winans, 26.

Rice is serving an 11-year sentence in federal prison in Petersburg, Virginia, for attempting to abduct and kill a female bicyclist in the same park in 1997.

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Ashcroft called the killings of Williams and Winans "hate crimes" and said Rice could receive the death penalty.

"He intentionally selected his victims because of his hatred of women and homosexuals," Ashcroft said at a Justice Department press conference.

Rice stated "that he hates gays" and that the victims "deserved to die because they were lesbian ...," according to a court document submitted by federal prosecutors.

The document also said the government will prove Rice "intentionally selected women to intimidate and assault 'because they are more vulnerable than men.' "

The killings are believed to have occurred sometime between May 24 and June 1, 1996, according to the indictment.

John Winans of Boca Raton, Florida, father of "Lollie" Winans, said he learned of the break in the case from federal agents about two weeks ago.

"I just had to be here today," Winans said after Ashcroft's announcement.

The father of Julianne Williams, Tom Williams of St. Cloud, Minnesota, expressed strong support for the FBI and National Park Service, which had investigated the case for several years.

"We never gave up hope," Williams said.

Both fathers said they support the death penalty for Rice if he is found guilty in the slayings.

A prosecutor involved in the case said Rice, who is in his middle 30s, last worked as a computer programmer for a now-defunct company in Maryland.

The indictment said Rice intentionally selected his targets "because of the actual or perceived gender or sexual orientation" of the women.

A prosecutor predicted the case will be tried next year.

Ashcroft said the Justice Department will vigorously prosecute hate crimes.

"The volatile, poisonous mixture of hatred and violence will not go unchallenged in the American system of justice," he said.

By invoking the hate crimes enhancements in federal sentencing guidelines, he said that the Justice Department is making clear "our commitment to seek every prosecutorial advantage ... to secure justice for victims like Julianne Marie Williams and Lollie Winans."

Ashcroft did not say whether he would support a hate crime bill before Congress that extends legal protection to homosexuals.

"The pending hate crime legislation in Congress is under review in the Justice Department at this time," Ashcroft said. "We're inclined to prosecute hate crimes like this one."

Ashcroft met with family members of the two victims earlier Wednesday.

"Julianne Marie Williams and Lollie Winans were young women who loved life and cherished every single day," Ashcroft said.

Winans was a graduate of Unity College in Maine, was a lover of the outdoors and had planned to become a park guide, Ashcroft said.

Williams was an honors graduate of Carleton College in Minnesota, was interested in geology and helped migrant workers and abused families, he said.