PETERSBURG, W.Va. — A man has been arrested and charged with first-degree murder in the 2016 killing of a man whose remains were found in Dolly Sods.
Richard William Nichols faces the charge in the death of Ivan Vanya Perlis, according to a criminal complaint filed May 7. Nichols was recently arrested in Indiana, the Grant County Press reported.
Investigators said a hunter discovered human remains along Brushy Ridge Road in Dolly Sods, near Maysville, on Nov. 12, 2016. The remains were later identified as Perlis.
An examination of Perlis’ skull revealed three gunshot wounds to the back of his head, according to the complaint. Ballistic testing determined that fragments recovered from the skull were from three .22-caliber bullets.
Nichols became a suspect because of his connection to Perlis, the complaint states. The two men reportedly had been staying on a property in the Dry Fork area of Tucker County in the months before Perlis disappeared. Perlis lived in a garage, while Nichols stayed in a camper, according to the complaint.
Investigators said Nichols gave conflicting accounts during interviews about when he last saw Perlis. A polygraph examination conducted in May 2017 indicated deception when Nichols was asked whether Perlis had left with another man in Dolly Sods and whether Perlis was alive the last time Nichols saw him, according to the complaint.
During later interviews, a witness allegedly told investigators that he saw Nichols and Perlis leave together in Nichols’ truck, heading toward Dolly Sods. The witness said Nichols allegedly returned alone several hours later wearing different clothes.
The witness also told investigators that Nichols said he had put three bullets in Perlis’ head and needed to burn his bloodstained clothing, according to the complaint.
Nichols is being held at the Potomac Highlands Regional Jail. No bond has been set.