The Murder of Dawn Meade

Warning, this case does discuss abuse and domestic violence.

For this case, I watched an episode of See No Evil. It’s season 9 episode 4, titled ‘Driven to Murder.’

A loving mother moves to a new state to start the next chapter of her life.

Background

Dawn Meade was only 40-years-old when she died. She had her son, Joseph, at an early age, and the two were very close.

In May 2017, Dawn was dropped off at the bus station with her boyfriend Greg Veres. Dawn was moving from New Haven, Connecticut to Louisa County, Virginia, to help Greg’s grandmother and brother, James, get back on their feet.

Dawn’s sister, Denise, said that they were very excited for Dawn. Dawn was very sociable, and could make friends with everyone. Joseph said that Greg seemed like a funny guy, and made his mom very happy.

The 911 Calls

On September 21, 2017, Dawn and Greg decided to go out for dinner and drinks.

The next morning, on September 22, the Louisa County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call at 7:38am. The call was from James Veres, Greg’s brother. James was known to the police, as he usually called when he wanted mental health help.

James told the police that he was feeling manic from his bipolar disorder. He said he woke up that morning, and saw that his grandmother’s car, a green 2014 Chevy Cruze, had been damaged. He said it looked like a deer had been hit. The hood of the car and windshield were damaged.

Deputy Alan Gallagher went to speak to James. While he was speaking with him, two more 911 calls came in. A woman said she saw what looked like a Halloween decoration, but had actually been a dead body.

A man told the 911 dispatcher that he saw a woman’s body lying face down in a ditch near the Blue Ridge Shores gated community. The dispatcher asked the man if he could get out of his car to inspect it further. The man said the woman was deceased, as he didn't see her chest move.

The Crime Scene

While Deputy Gallagher was speaking to James, he was told that his brother’s girlfriend, Dawn Meade, didn’t return home. Deputy Gallagher was already learning about the victim being found, and knew that the car at the Veres’ home had damage to it.

Dawn was identified by a tattoo that she had on her lower leg. Dawn had been found lying face down in a ditch on Firehouse Drive. Her body had been found right outside the gated area of the Blue Ridge Shores subdivision.

Dawn had severe injuries that were consistent with being hit with a car. She had extensive injuries to her neck and lower abdomen.

She also had a honeycomb pattern on her legs from the grill of the car. The Chevy Cruze had a unique honeycomb pattern on the grill, which matched the pattern on Dawn’s legs.

Dawn was hit so hard that her shoes landed in two different area. One shoe was found in a tree, and the other was found about 28 feet away from her.

The Surveillance Footage

Just next to the crime scene, was a guard shack for the entrance of the subdivision. The guard shack had multiple surveillance cameras.

The police started by watching the footage around 8pm. It wasn't until 11:02pm when they caught their first glimpse at the 2014 Chevy Cruze. The police couldn’t tell who was driving, but the license plate was visible, and matched the car in the Veres’ driveway.

The car entered the subdivision at 11:02pm, but left again, and returned at 11:41pm. There was no damage to the car yet. The car again returns to the entrance, but left again at 11:51pm. At 12:25am, the car now damaged, returns at a high rated speed. The front license plate was almost bouncing, as it was crooked and almost falling off.

The car left again for one last time. When it returned at 12:39am, the driver didn’t use the key card entrance. Instead, the driver uses the curve of the car to lift the bar, and drove underneath it.

The police were stunned as they had never seen anything like it.

Brother vs. Brother

While the police were at the Veres’ home, James was read his Miranda right, but he pled the fifth. Greg was handcuffed, so that he wouldn’t interfere with the investigation.

Greg and James’ grandmother can be heard on the police body cam, asking Greg if he knew that Dawn was dead. Greg then jumps up from the front porch, and says “what, my girlfriend’s fucking dead?”

While the police were in the driveway, Deputy Gallagher noticed red residue coming from the rear of the vehicle. Greg then walks over to them, and kicks the car like he was trying to remove the evidence. The police took Greg down to the station for further questioning.

Dawn’s purse was also found inside the house. Inside, the police found a receipt from the Courthouse Cafe, which now looks like it has been renamed to King’s All-American Restaurant and Pub.

While the Veres’ brothers were at the police station, James told the police that had he pled the fifth because he didn’t want to get anyone in trouble. James said the last person to drive the Chevy Cruze was his brother.

Dawn’s Last Moments

Luckily, the Courthouse Cafe had surveillance cameras. Dawn and Greg were seen entering the pub at 9:35pm. It seemed like they were getting along.

A little while later, they could be seen playing pool and having some drinks. While they were playing, Greg’s body language seemed to change. He seemed angry, especially when another man came over to them, and said he wanted to play the winner. The winner was Dawn, so the two played, and talked.

Dawn and Greg left the pub a little after 10pm, and could be seen getting into the Chevy Cruze. The other man stayed at the bar, so he was ruled out.

The police were able to identify Greg as the driver from the Blue Ridge surveillance footage. In the bar, Greg was wearing a florescent yellow t-shirt. His t-shirt could be seen in the video, when the arm comes out of the car to enter the subdivision.

Greg’s Story

The police asked Greg where they went after leaving the pub. Greg said they fooled around in a field until Dawn got upset. Greg said Dawn walked away, so he drove around for awhile looking for her.

The police asked Greg what their fight was about. Greg said Dawn was mad because she wanted to drive, but he didn’t let her because they had been drinking.

Earlier in the day, Greg told the police that he didn’t usually drive the car, and hadn’t driven that night. But, when the police continued questioning him, his story changed. Greg told them that he had hit a mailbox that night, which is why the car was damaged. The police checked the area, but there were no damaged mailboxes.

Greg said that his grandmother took the keys to the car away from him when got home. Greg said that his brother would often steal the keys from her room, and was probably the one who took the car next.

The police confronted Greg, and said that Dawn died because she was hit by the car. They also knew from Greg’s grandmother that she had only given permission to Greg to use the car, and that James never left the house.

Greg continued to deny that he had anything to do with Dawn’s death. The police learned that there was an order of protection between Dawn and Greg. Greg had been violent before, and had once given Dawn a black eye.

When the police left the room, Greg can be heard saying, “why did I say a fucking thing, you know better than that dude.”

The Arrest and Conviction

The police examined the surveillance footage one more time. At 12:30am, when Greg entered the subdivision for the last time, he had changed his sweatshirt. He had been wearing the same blue sweatshirt the next morning when he was taken to the police station.

Gregory Veres was arrested and charged with Dawn’s murder.

Greg’s trial began on December 12, 2018.

From the evidence, the theory was that Greg and Dawn left the pub together. They had gotten into an argument during the night, so Dawn got out of the car. Greg was seen leaving the subdivision several times because he was looking for her.

The police believe that when Greg was seen driving at a high rated speed, it’s when he hit Dawn. He left the area one more time to make sure she was dead. Greg claimed to love Dawn, but he showed no remorse.

On December 14, 2018, Greg was found guilty of first degree murder and of felony hit and run. He was sentenced to life in prison.

Rusty E. McGuire, the prosecutor said:

“He killed her in the middle of the night and left her alone, cold and in the dark, on the side of the road.”

— ctpost.com

FINAL THOUGHTS

Maybe Greg became upset because Dawn was being friendly to another bar patron. Maybe Greg was just an abusive asshole, and became angry when Dawn walked away from him. Probably both. Dawn seemed like a loving mother, sister and daughter, and was killed for absolutely no reason. My heart goes out to her family, especially her son.

Sources

https://thecinemaholic.com/dawn-meade-murder-where-is-gregory-veres-now/

https://www.wric.com/news/crime/man-gets-life-sentence-for-running-his-girlfriend-over-in-2017/

https://www.ctpost.com/local/article/Former-Milford-man-convicted-of-murdering-13475581.php

https://www.wtvr.com/2017/09/25/dawn-meade-obit

https://www.nhregister.com/metro/article/Ex-Milford-man-sentenced-to-life-in-prison-for-13733308.php