Family Sues Virginia Sheriff's Department Over Deputy's Deadly Rampage

The lawsuit alleges negligence in hiring Austin Lee Edwards, who had a court order prohibiting him from possessing a firearm due to a psychiatric detention.

• A California family is suing a Virginia sheriff’s department for hiring Austin Lee Edwards, a deputy who kidnapped a 15-year-old girl, killed her mother and grandparents, and set their home on fire.
• Edwards had been hired as a Washington County sheriff’s deputy in Virginia just nine days before the killings, despite a 2016 court order prohibiting him from buying, possessing and transporting a firearm due to a psychiatric detention.
• Edwards had posed online as a 17-year-old boy, a form of deception known as “catfishing,” and asked the girl to send nude photos of herself. When she stopped responding, he traveled to her home in California.
• The lawsuit alleges that Edwards showed his law enforcement badge and service weapon to the girl’s grandparents, claiming he was a detective and needed to question the family. He then killed the family members and set their home on fire.
• The lawsuit seeks damages through a jury trial and holds the department negligent in hiring Edwards. The Virginia State Police, Edwards' previous employer, has since changed its employment processes and background investigation policies and training.

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