The Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney for Prince William County announced the passing of the Honorable Paul B. Ebert, the longest-serving commonwealth’s attorney in Virginia history.
Ebert, who served 52 years as the top prosecutor for Prince William County and the cities of Manassas and Manassas Park, died at age 88. He retired in 2019.
“The Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney with sadness acknowledges the passing of the Honorable Paul B. Ebert, former Commonwealth’s Attorney for Prince William County and the Cities of Manassas and Manassas Park,” the office stated. “Mr. Ebert began his career as a part-time prosecutor and retired in 2019 as the most senior elected Commonwealth’s Attorney in Virginia, having served 52 years.”
“Mr. Ebert always stressed the importance of fairness, while never forgetting the need to protect public safety. On behalf of the entire Office, Commonwealth’s Attorney Amy Ashworth sends her condolences to the Ebert family on this sad day.”
Born in 1937 in Roanoke, Virginia, Ebert moved to Northern Virginia as a child. He earned a business degree from Virginia Tech and a law degree from George Washington University. Before winning election in 1967 at age 30—becoming one of the youngest commonwealth’s attorneys in state history—he worked in private practice and as a part-time assistant prosecutor.
During his long tenure, Ebert earned a reputation as a tough prosecutor who pursued the death penalty in capital cases, securing more than a dozen such sentences. He gained national attention for high-profile prosecutions, including the 1993–94 trials of John and Lorena Bobbitt in Manassas and the 2003 trial of D.C. sniper John Allen Muhammad.
In the Bobbitt cases, Ebert prosecuted John Bobbitt on marital sexual assault charges (acquitted) and Lorena Bobbitt on malicious wounding charges after she cut off her husband’s penis in 1993. The trials became an international media sensation. Ebert later led the successful capital prosecution of Muhammad for a murder in Prince William County during the 2002 Beltway sniper attacks that killed 10 people. Muhammad was executed in 2009.
Ebert was respected by peers across Virginia as a mentor and standard-bearer for prosecutors. A county law library was dedicated in his honor in 2022. He is survived by family members, including children in the region.
Ashworth’s statement highlighted Ebert’s commitment to balanced justice. Local officials and legal community members are expected to offer additional tributes in the coming days.
