Chantilly man allegedly strangled wife to death while their 3-year-old son was home

Chantilly man allegedly strangled wife to death with son in home

A 32-year-old man has been arrested for Second-Degree Murder after allegedly strangling his wife to death during an argument.

CHANTILLY, Va. - A 32-year-old man has been arrested for Second-Degree Murder after allegedly strangling his wife to death during an argument. 

What we know:

Alexander Towne, 32, has been charged with fatally assaulting his wife, 32-year-old Kim White. 

Officers responded to a domestic incident at a home in the 16000 block of Bromall Court in Chantilly on the evening of May 24. They found White suffering from trauma to the upper body, and she was declared dead at the scene. 

In court documents, Fairfax County police detectives say Towne called 911, crying on the phone and saying he choked his wife during an argument. 

Towne allegedly told the dispatcher, "I don’t think she’s with us any longer." When police arrived, they found White dead inside the house. 

Their 3-year-old son, also in the home, was unharmed. 

Towne was taken into custody and charged with Second-Degree Murder. He's being held without bond. 

Dig deeper:

Neighbor Waheed Muhammad says, "I was actually at home and just saw all the cops and I was like ‘what happened?’ We really didn’t know what happened until later in the night when they posted on the community page what happened… so. It’s tragic."

Narin Van, who lives next door, says, "He never told me who he’s working for or what he did or stuff like that… but he seemed like a nice guy. A nice guy and his wife, too."

When asked if he ever heard the couple argue or fight, neighbor Muhammad said, "Never… never. I feel like they were the happy couple."

Neighbors say the young family moved here just a few months ago from California and were renting the house. Towne worked as an analyst for the Defense Health Agency, which is based in Falls Church. He’s a military veteran who, according to court documents, received a monthly disability payment from the VA. His next court date is in July.

Police say the couple’s young son is being cared for by a relative.