By Shirleen Guerra
(The Center Square) – Federal agents executed court-authorized search warrants Wednesday at properties in Portsmouth tied to Virginia Senate President Pro Tempore Louise Lucas, according to the FBI.
Crime
Virginia State Police closed a 52-year-old homicide case after determining that the husband of Shirley L. Washington, 33, of Washington, D.C., was responsible for her murder. She was found with eight stab wounds in Conway Robinson State Forest outside Gainesville on December 8, 1973. The suspect died in 2013, and Prince William County prosecutors say evidence supports his involvement, but the case cannot be prosecuted due to time passed and other factors.
The Virginia State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation Fairfax Field Office has closed a 52-year-old homicide investigation. Shirley L. Washington, 33, of Washington, D.C. was found murdered in Conway Robinson State Forest outside Gainesville, Va., on December 8, 1973. Investigative work from BCI Special Agents has now determined that Washington’s husband, Clarence E. Washington, of Washington, D.C., was involved in her death. Clarence Washington died in 2013 at age 68, and the Prince William County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office has stated that if not for his death, the case would have been prosecuted.
Prince William County detectives arrested an 18-year-old Dumfries man Wednesday in connection with the fatal shooting of another 18-year-old during a confrontation near basketball courts in the 1800 block of Potomac Shores Parkway.
Kennsington Duane Adams, 18, of Dumfries, was taken into custody at his home with help from the U.S. Marshal’s Task Force. He faces charges of second-degree murder, use of a firearm in commission of a felony, discharge of a firearm into an occupied dwelling, willful discharge of a firearm in a public place, and concealed carry. He is being held without bond; a court date is pending.
The Fredericksburg Police Department announced the arrest of 23-year-old Hien Dinh of Stafford County in connection with three sexual battery incidents reported along the Canal Path and Heritage Trail in March 2026.
Dinh, who has faced multiple prior sexual assault and battery charges across Northern Virginia jurisdictions dating back to 2021, was taken into custody March 31 and is being held without bond at the Rappahannock Regional Jail.
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Prince William County detectives charged J’Shaun Zomari Williams on March 23 in connection with the fatal shooting of an 18-year-old man at Potomac Shores on March 9, marking the most recent development in the ongoing murder investigation.
Detectives took Williams into custody with assistance from the U.S. Marshal’s Task Force in Richmond. This arrest follows two prior arrests in the case.
Detectives executed a search warrant at the Gainesville home of the primary suspect, 19-year-old J’Shaun Zomari Williams, of the 14200 block of Haro Trail. Williams was not located during the attempted service of the warrants and remains at large. Police are asking the public for help in locating him.
Williams, described as a Black male, 6’1”, 175 lbs, with black hair and brown eyes, faces charges including murder, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, discharge of a firearm into an occupied dwelling, willful discharge of a firearm in a public place, concealed carry, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
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The homicide investigation began on March 9 at approximately 5:33 p.m. when officers responded to the 1800 block of Potomac Shores Parkway (22026), an outdoor recreational area near the Shores Club in this master-planned Dumfries neighborhood.
Police say several people were playing basketball when another group arrived, leading to a confrontation that escalated into an exchange of gunfire. Everyone scattered after the shots were fired.
Prince William County police have arrested a 25-year-old Chesterfield County man in connection with the February 24 shooting death of a 34-year-old Alexandria resident in the parking lot of Potomac Mills mall.
Clifton Joseph Douglas, 25, of Chesterfield, was taken into custody on March 2 by members of the U.S. Marshals Task Force in Chesterfield County. He faces charges of murder and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. Douglas is being held without bond, with a court date pending.
Full Coverage
Prince William County police responded to a reported stabbing at a residence in the 3400 block of Vale Court in Woodbridge shortly after 8 a.m. on Saturday, February 21. Officers discovered four deceased individuals inside the home: three adults and a 2-year-old boy. All suffered knife-related injuries, according to preliminary findings.
The Prince William County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office issued statements this week on two separate criminal cases, announcing a jury verdict in a deadly 2023 abduction and homicide and sentencing in a decades-old cold case involving abduction and rape.
In the first case, a Prince William County jury on February 4, 2026, convicted Michael C. Davis, 38, of second-degree murder, abduction, three counts of attempted aggravated murder of a law enforcement officer, 10 counts of using a firearm in the commission of a felony, and felony eluding. The charges stem from the April 5, 2023, abduction and killing of Tatiana David and a pursuit involving Virginia State Police that ended in Prince William County. A sentencing date has not yet been scheduled.