Daughter of Danville murder victim is not shocked by the suspect arrested for the crime

DANVILLE (WSLS 10) - The daughter of a man murdered in Danville in January is speaking out as a suspect is now in jail.

As we've reported, 42-year-old Shanon Slate was arrested over the weekend and is charged with felony homicide for the death of Jay Thompson.

Thompson's body was found in the woods along Seminole Drive on January 13 near the Danville-Pittsylvania County line.

Madalyn Thompson, Thompson's daughter, said Slate was a friend of her father's who helped raise her and her sister.

"We weren't really surprised because after finding the body in the woods and only one person was around to witness it, it wasn't really a surprise," Madalyn said. "It was somebody he was really close to for years and nobody really expected that that would happen."

As of Monday afternoon, Slate's preliminary hearing was scheduled for December 19.

The Pittsylvania County Sheriff's Office is still investigating the case.