BY PORTSIA SMITH

A new court date has been set for a Maryland man charged with murder in the stabbing death of a woman outside a Colonial Beach motel.

William Harrison Baker, 49, of Indian Head, Md., is scheduled to appear in Westmoreland County General District Court on Nov. 13 on charges of first-degree murder and breaking and entering with a weapon with intent to murder. He is being held in the Northern Neck Regional Jail without bond.

Baker, who was recently released from prison, is accused of fatally stabbing 46-year-old Elizabeth D. Thompson on Oct. 3 at the Beach Gate Inn in Colonial Beach.

According to Colonial Beach Police Chief Kenny Blevins, Baker and Thompson were acquaintances "on and off for several years."

The case is still under investigation, but Blevins said the motive for the stabbing may have something to do with "whether the relationship was mutual or one that he thought was still on and she didn't."

According to Blevins, Sgt. M.A. Russo observed activity in the parking lot of the Beach Gate Inn on Colonial Avenue on Oct. 3 about 1 a.m. and stopped to investigate. As he entered the parking lot, he was approached by several people reporting that a woman had been stabbed, Blevins said.

Russo found Thompson, a Colonial Beach resident, in the parking lot about 30 feet from her motel room. She had been stabbed numerous times and died a short time later, Blevins said.

Blevins said witnesses described a man who had been at the scene and pointed out the direction he went after the stabbing.

Westmoreland County Sheriff C.O. Balderson said checkpoints were set up along Colonial Avenue and State Route 205 as officers and deputies searched the area.

After nearly five hours, Deputy Antwan Smith located Baker on foot about 6:05 a.m. at Route 205 and Darl Circle, about a mile from the stabbing site, Balderson said.

According to search warrants filed in Westmoreland County Circuit Court, blood was found in a vehicle used by Baker not far from where he was located. It is being tested to see if it is a match to Thompson, Blevins said.

Maryland court records show that Baker, who was recently released from prison, was charged with attempted murder in Charles County, Md., in 1996. Details about the disposition of that charge were unclear on Maryland online records.

Portsia Smith: 540/374-5419
Email: psmith@fredericksburg.com