A California family is seeking justice after a Virginia sheriff’s department hired a deputy who went on a horrific crime spree, resulting in the death of a 15-year-old girl’s mother and grandparents. The incident took place in Riverside, California, and ended with the deputy’s suicide during a shootout with law enforcement. The teenager was fortunately rescued. The deputy, Austin Lee Edwards, had only been hired by the Washington County sheriff’s department in Virginia nine days prior to the killings, despite a court order prohibiting him from possessing firearms. This court order had been issued due to his previous psychiatric issues and threats of violence towards his father.
The victims’ aunt and her minor sister have filed a lawsuit against the Washington County Sheriff’s Office and Edwards’ estate, claiming negligence in the deputy’s hiring process. The lawsuit seeks damages and is calling for a jury trial. The sheriff’s office has not yet responded to the lawsuit.
Authorities revealed that Edwards had deceived the teenager by posing as a 17-year-old boy online, a tactic known as “catfishing.” He coerced her into sending explicit photos before she stopped responding to his messages. Edwards then traveled to California, where he showed his law enforcement badge and service weapon to the girl’s grandparents, claiming to be a detective who needed to question the family. He proceeded to slit the throat of the girl’s mother and attempted to asphyxiate her grandparents by tying bags over their heads. The lawsuit alleges that at least one of the grandparents was still alive when Edwards set their home on fire.
The aunt of the victims expressed her family’s devastation, stating that the tragedy has torn their family apart. She questions how Edwards was hired as a sheriff’s deputy and given a gun despite the court order prohibiting him from possessing firearms. She believes that the Washington County Sheriff’s Office should be held accountable for granting a mentally unfit individual the authority and means to commit such heinous acts.
It was revealed that Edwards had previously worked for the Virginia State Police before being hired as a deputy in Washington County. The governor of Virginia, Glenn Youngkin, called for a full investigation into the hiring process, which found that a background investigator for the state police had failed to check the correct database that would have flagged Edwards’ mental health order. The state police have since made changes to their employment processes, background investigation policies, and training.
The tragic events surrounding the deputy’s crime spree and the subsequent investigation have prompted calls for accountability and reform within law enforcement agencies. The lawsuit filed by the victims’ family seeks to shed light on the failures that allowed a mentally unstable individual to become a deputy and carry out such horrific acts.
