Virginia Man Arrested For Killing Non-Profit Founder To 'Reconnect' With Victim's Wife

A Virginia man has been accused of sneaking into the home of a married couple he knew and gunning down the husband as the pair slept.

Joshua Danehower, 33, is facing charges of second-degree murder and use of a firearm during the commission of a felony in connection with the brazen killing of non-profit founder Gret Glyer, 32, according to a statement from The City of Fairfax Police.

Danehower — who claimed to be the ex-boyfriend of Glyer’s wife Heather — is accused of sneaking into the Glyer family home just before 3:00 a.m. on June 24 and shooting Glen Glyer 10 times, including four times in the head and twice in the neck, according to an arrest warrant obtained by WTTG.

Joshua Danehower Photo: Fairfax County Adult Detention Center

Glyer’s wife of four years had been sleeping in the bed next to him when Danehower allegedly began shooting but was unharmed. The couple’s two children — a 2-year-old girl and an infant boy — were inside the home at the time of the murder but also were not harmed.

Danehower allegedly wanted to reconnect with Heather, who he termed his ex-girlfriend, according to the court documents.

However, a source close to the Glyer family told WTTG that Danehower "was deluded into thinking that there was a romantic relationship, when no such relationship ever existed" and suggested he had "severe mental illness." The Fairfax police termed him "an acquaintance of the family" in their press release, and NBC4 reported that the couple and Danehower all attended the same church.

Danehower was arrested Tuesday night on his way to work at a FedEx at Dulles International Airport, where he had been working for a month.

He appeared in bond hearing this week and casually asked after the hearing whether he could get a food delivery.

“Can I order a pizza?” he allegedly said, according to the arrest warrant.

Investigators added a handwritten note to the charging documents about the unusual request, writing that he “was not taking the situation seriously in the slightest.”

Heather Glyer released a statement about her husband’s death to several local media outlets, thanking police for making the arrest “happen so quickly” and expressing gratitude for the community’s support.

“Gret was my best friend and an incredible husband and father,” she said. “He had an amazing heart for helping the people who need it most, and I know that legacy will live on. I know that God is with me and has a plan for my life and for the lives of our children. We would appreciate your prayers.”

Gret Glyer founded DonorSee, a non-profit that aims to “serve the world’s poorest and provide the internet’s best place to give,” according to its website.

His coworkers called him a “courageous and kind” leader in an online tribute, set up to help the family.

“As many of you know, Gret lived his life in the pursuit of helping others,” the message read. “He has left a legacy that will live on through DonorSee of changing the world for the better and helping those who need it most. He is a shining light that inspired those he met, and many more he did not meet.”

Owen O’Doherty, the interim chief executive of DonorSee, told The Washington Post the 15 people at the company were “still incredibly shocked and deeply saddened” by Glyer’s sudden loss.

Gret Glyer, a native of Fairfax, graduated from Grove City College in 2012 according to his obituary. After working a brief time at Enterprise Rent-A-Car, he moved to Malawi in 2013 to teach at African Bible College.

He returned to the United States three years later to start DonorSee after he “witnessed extreme poverty during his time abroad” and decided to dedicate his career to “eliminating it and helping those in need.”

He married Heather Campbell Glyer, described as "a childhood friend and college classmate," in September 2018. The couple's first child was born in 2020 and their second child was born earlier this year.