Victor Razumov Jr., left, was charged with stabbing and killing 73-year-old Virginia Sommer. His brother, Alexey Razumov, right, was charged with receiving stolen property and conspiracy after he allegedly drove his brother to pawn shops, where they tried to sell Sommer's jewelry, authorities said.
By Joe Moszcynski and James Queally/Star-ledger Staff
WANTAGE — When Virginia Sommer's bloodied body was discovered inside her Wantage home on Nov. 15, the crime scene told police little about the person who killed the 73-year-old retired nurse who friends called "Suzy."
There was no sign of forced entry and, except for a few missing pieces of jewelry, there wasn’t much out of place, authorities said.
In the days that followed, investigators from the Sussex County Prosecutor’s Office and the New Jersey State Police scoured area pawn shops, where they located some of the jewelry.
That discovery led them to 18-year-old Victor Rasumov Jr. who lived within walking distance of Sommer’s home, authorities said.
When investigators searched the teen’s residence on Nov. 20, they discovered more of Sommer’s jewelry in a nearby wooded area, authorities said. When they entered Rasumov’s bedroom, they found a blood-soaked piece of paper.
Tuesday, nearly two weeks after Sommer was stabbed to death, Rasumov was charged with her murder, Sussex County First Assistant Prosecutor Greg Mueller said.
"Detectives have been pursuing justice non-stop, right through the Thanksgiving holiday, from the time the victim was discovered until now," said Lt. Col. Matt Wilson, deputy superintendent of investigations for the State Police.
Sommer’s body was found by friends who were conducting a well-being check because they had not heard from her in several days, Mueller has said. A widow, Sommer lived alone on Valley View Trail in the Lake Neepaulin section of Wantage.
Rasumov was charged Nov. 20 with resisting arrest and evidence tampering, authorities said. He was named a "person of interest" on Monday.
He remains at the Sussex County Correctional Facility in lieu of $1.025 million full cash bail. His 19-year-old brother, Alexey, was also charged with receiving stolen property and conspiracy for driving his brother to the pawn shops where he allegedly sold Sommer’s jewelry, authorities said. He remains at the jail in lieu of $50,000 full cash bail.
Mueller did not disclose a motive in the slaying, saying only that Rasumov allegedly killed Sommer during a burglary. It remains unclear whether he knew Sommer or specifically targeted her, Mueller said.
Calls to Rasumov’s relatives were not returned, and little else is known about the accused teen killer. Officials from High Point Regional High School could not be reached for comment.
Sommer was a retired nurse who spent years working at the Sunrise House rehabilitation center in Lafayette, a facility her late husband, former Lafayette Mayor Bob Sommer, helped found in 1983.
Philip Horowitz, Sunrise House’s CEO, said he last saw Sommer earlier this year. Horowitz said Sommer told him she was cleaning her house when she uncovered a rotary phone that had been used during the center’s formative years, and wanted to give it back to the Sunrise House.
"That was the kind of person she was. She was thoughtful. She was always in a good mood and she liked to chat," he said. "I don’t know why she was called ‘Suzy,’ but she had a Suzy personality."
Born in Montclair, Sommer grew up in Scotch Plains. She lived in Basking Ridge and Peapack before moving to Wantage 20 years ago. She became a licensed practival nurse after raising her children, which appeared in The Star-Ledger.
Horowtiz described Sommer as a pencil-thin and frail woman, making her violent death even more incomprehensible.
"She was tiny and very thin," he said. "If she was 5 (feet) 4 (inches), she was a giant."
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• Obituary: Virginia H. "Suzy" Sommer