FARMVILLE, Va. - Mother and daughter antiques dealers who supplied vintage clothes for movies such as ''Titanic'' were found slain at their homes, and the daughter's ex-husband was arrested.
Susan Varner, 50, was found dead in the kitchen of her Cumberland County home around 7 p.m. Wednesday, shortly after her mother, Suzanne Arena, was found slain in her home in neighboring Prince Edward County.
Reginald Varner, 53, was arrested after a police officer stopped him for speeding and saw blood and a weapon in the car, police said Thursday.
Police gave few details of the slayings, but did say Ms. Varner apparently had been struck with a blunt instrument. Varner was being held without bond, and a hearing was set for Monday.
The victims owned Suzi's Antiques in this south-central Virginia town, which supplied vintage clothing for movies and television movies with historical themes.
They did extensive work for ''Titanic,'' which won an Academy Award for best costumes. Among the many items they provided were the black beaded dress that Kate Winslet wore when she threatened to jump off the stern of the ship early in the movie and the jacket that Leonardo DiCaprio threw to the deck as he rushed to save her.
''When I saw the movie - I'm so jaded, because I'm so overworked - it was like my heart skipped a beat, I could not believe how beautiful they were,'' Ms. Varner said in 1998. ''We were just stunned.''
The women spent about half their time traveling around the country in a van buying clothes. Celebrity clients included Johnny Cash and his wife, June Carter, who bought a collection of Victorian clothing from the women for $7,000.
''Most of our customers don't treat the shop like a store,'' Ms. Varner said in 1998. ''Those who know about us or who have been here before treat it like a museum.''
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