Williamsburg Native Dies in Tragic Murder-Suicide

On Tuesday evening, a Greenwood couple died in what appears to be a murder-suicide, as reported by Logan Township Police Chief Dave Hoover.

In the basement of their residence on the 600 block of South Dartmouth Lane, Blase Raia fatally shot Brooke (Zimmerman) Raia in the head before turning the handgun on himself.

The call for police assistance came at 7:30 p.m., and state police were called in to process the scene, collecting evidence and providing support to the Logan Township Police Department.

This incident is believed to be the result of a domestic dispute according to Hoover based on evidence he gathered at the scene.

Four children were present at the time of the incident, and a fifth discovered the devastating situation upon returning home.

The bodies were removed by the coroner’s office on Tuesday evening.

Blair County Children, Youth and Family Services have placed the children with other family members.

The ongoing investigation by the police department aims to piece together the events leading up to the incident, with the interviews being conducted with the couple’s children and others who had interactions with them on Tuesday.

Crisis workers from UPMC Altoona provided assistance, and community members have initiated at least two GoFundMe accounts to support the survivors.

Blase, 39, was a machinist at the Juniata Locomotive Shop of Norfolk Southern, and Brooke, 34, formerly of Williamsburg, worked at a local chiropractic office.

There is currently a GoFundMe page created on Wednesday, Dec. 20, for the Raia’s five children that had already raised $38,650 as of Friday, Dec. 22.