Offender Record · OFF-2026-125
Virginia McGinnis (photo from the Radford University biography)
Virginia Agnes McGinnis
Also known as Virginia Rearden, Virginia Agnes Hoffman
Sex
Female
Race
White
Born
1937
Custody
Deceased
States
CA, KY, NY, MX
Custody
McGinnis died in prison on June 25, 2011 from natural causes, according to the California Department of Corrections.
This record documents arrests, charges and convictions reported by courts, law enforcement agencies and news organizations. Every statement is tied to a cited source with an archived copy. A charge is an accusation, not proof of guilt; a person charged is presumed innocent unless convicted. Solve the Case does not allege that this person committed any offense beyond what the cited records state, and this record is not a suggestion that the person is connected to any unsolved case. How records are built, corrected and removed.
Summary of the record
Virginia Agnes McGinnis was born in Ithaca, New York in January 1937. She was convicted of first-degree murder in March 1992 for the April 2, 1987 death of a 20-year-old woman whom she and her husband pushed off a cliff at Big Sur, California as part of an insurance fraud scheme. McGinnis was sentenced to life imprisonment without parole. She died in prison on June 25, 2011.
Documented Arrests, Charges and Convictions
Dispositions are shown exactly as the cited records report them. Pending charges are updated when a court acts; a record with no remaining conviction or pending charge is removed from the site.
Offense date Apr 02, 1987, Big Sur, California
First-Degree Murder with Special Circumstance of Financial Gain
San Diego County Sheriff; San Diego District Attorney · Superior Court of California, San Diego County · Arrested Sep 15, 1989 · Convicted Convicted · Sentence: Life imprisonment without possibility of parole
McGinnis and her husband Billie Joe McGinnis took the 20-year-old female victim to Big Sur on April 2, 1987. Investigators believe the husband slipped the victim prescription anti-depressants at lunch, then the couple pushed her off a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Evidence showed abrasions on the back of the victim's hands consistent with being struck as she attempted to hold onto the cliff edge. McGinnis had taken out a $35,000 life insurance policy on the victim the day before her death.
SourcesRadford University serial killer biography: McGinnis, Virginia; Killer Gets Life Term In Insurance Scheme; KILLER FEELS NO GUILT; Virginia McGinnis Behind Deana Wild's Fatal Fall From Big Sur Cliff
Pattern and Background
Victim counts and the pattern of the offenses as stated by courts, agencies and the cited reporting. Suspected counts are what officials have said publicly, not a finding of this site.
1
Victims convicted
0
Victims confessed
3
Victims suspected
Active years
1972–1987
Victim profile
Family members, Acquaintances
Stated motive
Financial gain
Range from home
regional
Accomplice
Yes
Marital history
Married, Divorced, Separated
Children
3
Died
2011-06-25 · natural
Places Lived, Worked and Frequented
Each place and date range comes from a cited record. Dates marked approximate are as reported. Know a place that is missing? Use Edit record under the photo; a moderator reviews it before it appears.
CA
Palo Alto, California
1975 – 1987
San Diego, California
1985 – 1987 · Temporary residence with victim before crime
Pittsburg, California
1989 – 1989 · Residence at time of arrest
KY
Louisville, Kentucky
1972 – 1975 · Fairdale; moved when spouse was transferred
MX
Las Colinas, Baja California Sur, Mexico
Dec 1991 – Mar 1992
NY
Ithaca, New York
1937 – 1954 · Birthplace; dairy farmer family home
Town of Newfield, New York
1956 – 1958
Ithaca, New York
1958 – 1966
Timeline
Jan 1937
Virginia Agnes Hoffman born in Ithaca, New York.
Jul 03, 1959
Arrested for forging $195 in checks.
Oct 05, 1959
Pleaded guilty to check forgery and placed on two years probation.
Dec 06, 1972
Daughter Cynthia Elaine Coates, age 3, found hanging in a barn in Louisville, Kentucky; McGinnis collected insurance payout but was never prosecuted.
Sep 08, 1974
Second husband Sylvester Rearden died under suspicious circumstances; McGinnis collected insurance.
Apr 01, 1987
McGinnis took out $35,000 life insurance policy on 20-year-old female victim.
Apr 02, 1987
20-year-old female victim pushed off a 400-foot cliff at Big Sur, California; death initially ruled accidental.
Sep 15, 1989
Arrested at home in Pittsburg, California for murder.
Dec 01, 1991
Accomplice and third husband Billie Joe McGinnis died of AIDS complications before trial began.
Mar 02, 1992
Jury convicted McGinnis of first-degree murder with special circumstance of financial gain.
Mar 20, 1992
Sentenced to life imprisonment without possibility of parole.
Jun 25, 2011
McGinnis died in prison of natural causes at age 74.
Sources
Solve the Case is never the original source. Each item below is the public record a statement on this page rests on, with an archived copy where one exists.
News report · Forensic Files Fandom ·
Virginia McGinnis“Virginia McGinnis was convicted of Deana Wild's murder and sentenced to life in prison.”
News report · Crime Solvers Central ·
Virginia Rearden Mcginnis, Serial Killer California||Kentucky||“Virginia Rearden McGinnis, born Virginia Agnes Hoffman in Ithaca, New York, in January 1937, became known as a convicted murderer and suspected serial killer.”
News report · Unknown Gender History Blog ·
Virginia Rearden McGinnis, Serial Killer“In 1992 Virginia Rearden McGinnis was found guilty of murdering Deana Wild and sentenced to life in prison.”
News report · Oxygen ·
Virginia McGinnis Behind Deana Wild's Fatal Fall From Big Sur Cliff“Investigators soon discovered that Virginia McGinnis, along with her husband and son, who was incarcerated when Wild died, were beneficiaries of a $35,000 life insurance policy taken out on Wild the day before she plunged to her death.”
Other government record · Find a Grave ·
Virginia Agnes Hoffman McGinnis (1937-2011) - Find a Grave Memorial“Virginia died in prison on June 25, 2011 according to Dana Simas of the California Department of Corrections. She was 74 years old.”
Other · Radford University Department of Psychology ·
Radford University serial killer biography: McGinnis, Virginia“Virginia Rearden McGinnis born January 1937 in Ithaca, New York; convicted of first-degree murder March 30, 1992 for death of Deana Hubbard Wild; sentenced to life without parole.”
Other government record · Legacy.com ·
Virginia Rearden Obituary and Online Memorial (2011)“Virginia was born on January 4, 1937 and passed away on Saturday, June 25, 2011.”
News report · Tulsa World (AP) ·
Killer Gets Life Term In Insurance Scheme“A retired hospital worker who pushed her son's girlfriend off a cliff a day after buying a $35,000 life insurance policy in the woman's name was sentenced to life in prison without parole.”
News report · Deseret News ·
KILLER FEELS NO GUILT“A jury convicted Rearden, a retired hospital worker, on March 2 of first-degree murder and later affirmed a special circumstance that it was committed for financial gain.”
Discussion
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