April 3rd, 1985. It was a fairly beautiful morning here in the Lynchburg/Bedford area. Nancy Haysom wasn't answering her door. Her two friends had shown up for their weekly bridge game but as they knocked, no sounds were heard, and no one opened the door. Loose Chippings was the name of the beautiful Haysom home. After realizing that something wasn't right, they reached out to a third friend to come with a key for them to enter the house. What they found would forever be ingrained in the brains of anyone who entered that home from that very moment. Detectives state they can still see everything exactly as it was. Blood everywhere. Mr. Haysom was stabbed 36 times, and his throat was cut so deep, he was almost decapitated. Mrs. Haysom's throat was cut from behind. She as well was nearly decapitated. She had a gold necklace on, and the cut was so deep, the necklace was laying on her windpipe. The blood covered the entire floor and was spattered all over the walls. When pictures were developed, the blood at first, looked as if a satanic cult had been there. The blood was obviously manipulated to hide possible evidence, but a footprint was found. Bedford panicked. Cults are not something you would see here in that time and honestly, not now either. There was no forced entry. Mrs. Haysom's purse was still in the home, and nothing was missing from it. Derek was found by the door and Nancy in the kitchen. The table still set from dinner. Hair and blood were found in the bathroom, so what does that tell you? Does it seem like a stranger/cult would come in and murder the Haysom's, not take a thing, and then go and take a shower? Even know where the shower was. I'm no detective but that tells me that the person/persons that did this, knew this house and the victims. With the number of stabbings to Derek and the deep cuts in their throats, it was overkill. Personal. Angry. Who would want to do that to such a couple as the Haysoms?
Elizabeth was in charge of her parent's funerals. She showed no emotions which in turn made her look a bit suspicious. Where had she been during the time frame that her parents were murdered? The police believed they were murdered approximately 48 hours prior to being found. She showed little to no emotion in the interview and told investigators that she and her boyfriend Jens had rented a car and had driven to Washington D.C. that weekend. When the police got the car rental slip, they noticed that the car had 669 miles on it. From Charlottsville to D.C, it's about a 100-mile drive. Where did the extra miles come from? According to Elizabeth, they got lost. Hard to get lost driving 29 straight into Washington D.C.....red flags everywhere. After interviewing her again, they wanted to speak with Jens. Elizabeth would not offer his contact information and stated she would have Jens call them when " he was not too busy". Guess what? He never reached out to police. Are we surprised? Nope. Since he seemed to be avoiding police at all costs, he was reaching the height of the suspect list. Elizabeth had already told the police her parents did not approve of their relationship.
Detectives obtained blood and a footprint from Eliabeth and finally was able to sit down with Jens about 6 months after the murders. He stated that the miles on the car were for sightseeing and then he refused to give blood or footprints. He said that he did not trust police due to his grandfather being hassled by the Nazis. Not sure that had to do anything with the murders but, I digress. Jens was shaken obviously by the statements from the police. So much so, Jens and Elizabeth fled the country.
Detectives acted fast. They contacted Interpol and let them know they didn't have warrants, but to be on the lookout. They traveled all around Germany, Italy, Austria, Thailand and China. They had fake Id's, wigs, disguises. They were prepared for everything but their money running out. After about 6 months on the run, they were passing bad checks in London to get by. They would pay for items with a check and then take the items back and receive cash. In Richmond, London they were arrested in a store for being suspicious. After the authorities caught them and went through their apartment, they figured out who they were. They found diaries and letters to one another and then London detectives put it all together. Something bad had happened in Virgina.
On May 25th, 1987, detectives Gardner and Reid, were contacted by the London authorities. Detective Ricky Gardner and Prosecutor James Updike got on a plane and flew to England to talk to Elizabeth and Jens. Elizabeth was no longer cooperating. Jens was cocky, but he did make a statement. A bold statement. He admitted to driving the rental car back to Virginia from DC, where he claims he left Elizabeth, and went to the Haysom's home. He STRESSED that ELizabeth was not with him and stayed behind in D.C., but he claimed she knew where he was going, and they both knew that his intent was to kill Derek and Nancy Haysom. Indictments were issued for both Elizabeth and Jens. Elizabeth admitted her role in the murders and did not fight extradition. Jens, however, chose to fight. Elizabeth was sent back to Virginia on May 8th, 1987. The charges in Britian had to be delt with first so that caused a delay. She went into trial very demure and quiet. The biggest question was why? WHY WOULD THIS HAPPEN? WHY DID THEY DIE?
Her answer? " My parents died because Jens and I were obsessed with each other, and he was jealous of anything else in my life." She flipped the switch on Jens immediately. She stated that Jens was angry that she had to sell her jewelry and that he hated her parents for not approving of their relationship. She pleaded guilty, but she made sure that Jens was exposed and probably lied about a lot of the things he did and said. She claimed she was an accessory before the fact but ended up pleading guilty to two counts of accessory to murder. On October 5th, 1987, she was sentenced to 90 years in prison. 45 years for each count to be served consecutively.
Jens, still fighting extradition, was in the belief that since his father was a German diplomat, he had diplomatic immunity. He knew that if he was tried in Germany he would get about 10 years, in Virginia, he stated " They will fry me." He did not want to face the death penalty, so Bedford took that off of the plate in order to get him back to stand trial. Jens was sent back to Virginia on January 12th, 1990. He was tried on two counts of First-Degree Murder. Jens stated that he was not the killer and had just taken the rap for Elizabeth to protect her. He was found guilty and given 2 life terms to be served consecutively. Soering never stopped fighting. He began to be eligible for parole in 2003. His twelfth parole request was denied at the beginning of 2017. A petition for an absolute pardon was filed on 22 August 2016.
On 3 May 2017, Albemarle County Sheriff J. E. "Chip" Harding released a 19-page report on a months-long investigation he had conducted on this case. He concluded that Jens Soring is innocent and asked Governor McAuliffe to pardon him. On September 27th, 2017, Harding held a press conference and advocated for Soring's release together with another investigator, Richard L. Hudson Jr. They also presented expert testimony of three forensic scientists who agreed that Soring's DNA did not match the blood found at the crime scene.
On November 25, 2019, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam announced that both Haysom and Soring would be released, but not pardoned, and sent back to their respective home countries. After more than 30 years in prison, Haysom was released from prison to the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and then deported to her home country of Canada in January 2020. Jens was returned to his home country of Germany, and neither are ever allowed to reenter the United States.
I have studied this case for more years than I care to admit. In the beginning, it seemed to me that they were both equally involved and had possibly been together at the Haysom home that night. After years of research, I have come to the conclusion that Elizabeth, in my opinion, was the mastermind, the murderer, and the master manipulator. I believe that Jens knew what was going to happen but that he chose not to have any part in it. I believe that he figured if Elizabeth was ever caught, he would take the blame and go to jail for a few years, if that, with his diplomatic immunity to save him. He was deep in love with Elizabeth, and I have no doubt that he would have done anything for her. No matter the price. Do I feel that she ever loved him? Maybe. Or maybe she figured he was right for the picking. I guess I will truly never know. But here is an interesting fact that my readers do not know. My mother was in jail in Goochland Va with Elizabeth Haysom. They were actually friendly, and I remember seeing her once when my dad took my sister and I for a visit. She stared at me. I didn't put that together until years and years later. After writing Part 1 of my blog, my mom's sister, my aunt, Kim sent me the following message:
"Just read your Haysom Blog. Excellent work! You Mama was friends with Elizabeth, they were in Goochland together and I met her several times when visiting your Mama."
Me: "I heard that!!!! I am putting out part 2 this week!
What was she like?"
My Aunt Kim: "She was very subdued at times then very vocal, but you could tell when she would rein herself back in. You could just tell there was something kind of evil (for lack of a better word) lurking underneath. The one time that sticks out most you're Mama came in with her to the visitation room and she was overly nice until your Mama started asking about things and people at home and just like a light switch, her whole demeanor switched. It kind of scared me."
Sources:
Who killed Derek and Nancy Haysom? The true story behind Till Murder Do Us Part (msn.com)
Derek and Nancy Haysom Murders: How Did They Die? Who Killed Them? (thecinemaholic.com)
Beyond Reason, book by Ken Englade.
Southern Fried Homicide. Episode: Bloodshed in Boonsboro
Netflix. " Till murder do us part." Soering vs. Haysom.
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