Homicide Reported In Spotsylvania On Sunday Morning: Police

Fredericksburg VA

29 November, 2021

10:21 AM

Description

SPOTSYLVANIA COUNTY, VA — A 33-year old woman was murdered in Spotsylvania County on Sunday morning, according to the Spotsylvania County Sheriff's Office. The woman was identified as Jordan Diggins. A suspect, who police identified as Chris Lee-Thompson Stevens, was arrested on Sunday. He was charged with first degree murder. Just before 11:30 a.m. on Sunday, a woman called 911 in Spotsylvania to report that a family friend was fighting with her boyfriend, according to a news release from the sheriff's office. The 911 caller learned of the dispute from a child who was witnessing the fight. The 911 caller told authorities that two children, aged 4 and 8, would be in the home. Shortly after the call, deputies conducted a welfare check at the home in the 11000 block of Taney Drive, according to the sheriff's office report. When deputies arrived in the townhouse, they found a deceased woman with "upper body trauma," authorities said. The two children were not in the home. Deputies and detectives then began to search the area for the children and the suspect. "A Detective spotted the children with the suspect in the woods behind Courthouse Elementary School off of Courthouse Road," the sheriff's office said. "When the detective approached the suspect, he took off with the kids in the tree line." Detectives later found the children unharmed in the Crown Grant subdivision. A deputy located the suspect as he entered a car after the exiting the woods near the 9700 block of Leavells Road. The deputy conducted a traffic stop and the suspect was taken into custody without further incident. The suspect, who police identified as Chris Lee-Thompson Stevens, was charged with first degree murder, violating a protective order, and two counts of abduction. He is being held without bond at the Rappahannock Regional Jail. Sunday's homicide was the second death reported by the sheriff's office over the weekend. On Saturday, authorities responded to a fatal shooting in the Orchard Ridge at Jackson Village apartments. Read more: Spotsylvania Police Detain Person Of Interest In Fatal Shooting A person of interest was detained after a man suffered multiple gunshot wounds. However, no charges were filed. There are a number of resources available to victims of domestic abuse in Virginia. The National Domestic Violence Hotline can be found at 1-800-799-7233. Virginia's family violence hotline can be reached at 1-800-838-8238.