The Prince William County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office dropped the remaining charges against Latoya Crabbe on Friday, ending the prosecution in the October 2024 shooting death of her estranged husband, Curtis Crabbe.
In a statement released this afternoon, the office said prosecutors and investigators from the Manassas City Police Department recently accessed a previously unexamined five-hour audio recording recovered from a digital device seized during the investigation. The recording captured conversations and events immediately leading up to the shooting.
“Following an exhaustive review of the audio and its transcript, the Commonwealth has concluded that the recording introduces significant evidence that a reasonable jury could interpret as supporting a claim of lawful self-defense,” the statement notes. “Because this newly available evidence creates a reasonable doubt regarding criminal intent, the Commonwealth cannot ethically proceed with the prosecution at this time.”
It said the office is legally and ethically bound to proceed only with cases in which the available evidence can establish guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, Ashworth notes, adding she will not comment further on the underlying facts of the investigation beyond the formal statement.
Crabbe, a Manassas mother of three and former U.S. Public Health Service officer and FDA program management officer, has maintained since her arrest that she shot Curtis Crabbe in self-defense inside the family home on the 9200 block of Brinkley Lane on Oct. 21, 2024. Police found Curtis Crabbe suffering from a fatal gunshot wound; Latoya Crabbe was detained at the scene and initially charged with second-degree murder and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony.
The case followed a turbulent path. In late February 2025, Prince William County Circuit Court Judge Angela Horan dismissed the second-degree murder charge after the prosecution missed key pretrial deadlines and was unprepared for a scheduled March trial. Crabbe was released from jail after roughly four months in custody.
Prosecutors, led at times by Senior Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney D. Burke Walker and with involvement from Commonwealth’s Attorney Amy Ashworth, then obtained a first-degree murder indictment from a grand jury. Defense attorneys David Daughtery and Blake Weiner had accused the prosecution of delays that kept Crabbe jailed and of handling the case in bad faith. The defense long argued the shooting occurred after threats and an alleged confrontation involving a knife.
With Friday’s action, the Commonwealth has formally declined to prosecute further based on the newly reviewed recording. The statement did not detail the contents of the audio beyond noting that it could support a self-defense claim and creates reasonable doubt as to criminal intent.
Crabbe, who has three young children, had been free on bond while the first-degree charge was pending. The decision ends the current criminal case against her.
