Husband shot dead by wife in Virginia domestic dispute: police

Manassas wife charged with killing husband while kids were home

A mother of three appeared in court Wednesday after police say she shot and killed her ex-husband. FOX 5's David Kaplan has the story.

MANASSAS, Va. - A Virginia woman is facing second-degree murder charges after police say she shot and killed her husband in their home on Monday.

FOX 5 has confirmed with the suspect’s mother that the couple’s three children were inside the home when the shooting happened.

On the afternoon of Oct. 21 at around 2:29 p.m., officers from the Manassas City Police Department responded to a 911 call about a shooting at the couple’s residence off Brinkley Lane in Manassas.

The suspect, 34-year-old Latoya Christine Crabbe, was immediately detained by officers at the scene. She has since been charged with second-degree murder and the use of a firearm in the commission of a felony in the death of Curtis Crabbe, 36.

She is being held without bond at the Prince William County Adult Detention Center.

Her bond was denied Wednesday morning, but her attorney, David Daugherty, was granted an appeal and there will be another hearing next Tuesday.

FOX 5 spoke with Latoya Crabbe’s mother Wednesday, who believes her daughter was acting in self-defense.

Latoya Christine Crabbe, 34, of Manassas, Va. Photo via Manassas City Police Department.

The mother says Crabbe recently told her husband that she wanted a divorce and believes whatever happened was connected to that.

Manassas City Police Sgt. Brett Stumpf tells FOX 5 there had been no recent calls to the home for any domestic-related incidents and that investigators spoke with witnesses, and don’t take charging decisions like this lightly.

"Whenever we levy such a serious charge like second degree murder, there’s a lot of consultation with the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s office. There’s a lot of consultation with the on-call captain. So our assistant chief, before we ever bring this serious charge, there’s a very good review of all the facts and circumstances that we have in front of us before we go ahead and charge," Stumpf said.

This is a developing story. Check back with FOX 5 for updates.

FOX 5's David Kaplan contributed to this report.