Bond denied again for Manassas woman accused of killing husband in domestic dispute
PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY, Va. - A Manassas mother who works as a pharmacist was denied bond Tuesday after she was indicted with murdering her husband, Curtis Crabbe.
But lawyers for the suspect, LaToya Crabbe, argue that she was acting in self-defense as she now awaits trial.
Bond has been denied multiple times for LaToya Crabbe, including Tuesday morning, just days after a grand jury indicted her and an early March trial date has been set.
The backstory:
Crabbe was taken into custody on Oct. 21, 2024 after police received a 911 call about a shooting at the couple’s residence off Brinkley Lane in Manassas.
When police arrived, they found Curtis Crabbe suffering from a fatal gunshot wound and LaToya Crabbe was immediately detained. She was charged with second-degree murder and the use of a firearm in the commission of a felony.
LaToya Crabbe’s mother, Marylin Martin, says the couple’s three children were inside the home when the shooting happened. Martin tells FOX 5 she doesn’t know exactly what happened in that basement, but says she is sure that her daughter was protecting herself.
PREVIOUS STORY: Husband shot dead by wife in Virginia domestic dispute: police
"For her to do that, her life was on the line. There’s no other way to explain it. Her life was on the line," Martin said.
Martin spoke to FOX 5 in the Manassas home where this shooting happened. She says LaToya and Curtis were raising their three kids in the home and living in the basement.
Martin says her daughter told Curtis she wanted a divorce, then came an eviction notice giving him 30 days to leave the home.
Shortly after that, Curtis allegedly sent a text to LaToya saying that he would hurt everyone in the house, then set it on fire, adding he was taking the kids and that she’d never see them again.
Days later, while Curtis was still staying in the home but in the process of moving out, gunshots rang out in that basement.
"Her only intent was to stop the threat. That was her only intent was to stay alive and stop the threat," Martin said.
What they're saying:
Martin says prosecutors have argued LaToya is a danger to the public, believing there’s evidence she reloaded the gun in the process of the shooting, allegedly implying intent. Crabbe’s defense attorney told FOX 5 he has not seen evidence to suggest that but if it were true, it’s not evidence of intent.
"She had to keep on until the threat stopped. So what is she supposed to go, ‘oh well, I didn’t run out of bullets, I give up, just kill me,’" Marilyn Martin said. "It makes absolutely no sense."
Police said there was no record of domestic violence calls to the home and they conducted a thorough review before bringing such a serious charge.
Prince William County Commonwealth’s Attorney Amy Ashworth declined to comment on the case while it’s pending but prosecutors have continued to argue for confinement.
FOX 5 reached out to Curtis Crabbe’s family tonight and, through a representative, they declined to comment.
In his obituary, his family said he was a dedicated family man who loved and adored his children.
The trial is set to start March 3.