Leann Renee Harris, a 34-year-old Black woman from Manassas, Virginia, was tragically killed on April 2, 2024, in a double homicide. At the time of her death, Harris was four months pregnant. She and her friend, 22-year-old Asia Payne, were discovered by Prince William County Police officers inside an apartment at the Westgate Apartments and Townhomes on Porter Ridge Lane. Both women had sustained gunshot wounds to their upper bodies. Harris's family later revealed she had been shot in the head.
The suspect in the killings was identified as Edward James Jackson Bland, a 36-year-old man from Manassas and Harris's cousin. Following the shootings, Bland allegedly carjacked a 61-year-old man at gunpoint near the apartment complex. He fled the area in the stolen vehicle but was apprehended hours later in Shenandoah County after the car became inoperable.
During his arrest, Bland confessed to the killings, reportedly telling deputies, 'it was a robbery — they had to die.' The investigation began after authorities in Shenandoah County notified Prince William County Police about Bland's confession. This led officers to the apartment where they found the bodies of Harris and Payne around 5:10 a.m. after forcing entry.
Leann Renee Harris was remembered by loved ones as a good-hearted and outgoing person who enjoyed bringing her family together. She was a mother to three children, aged 15, 14, and 4.
In December 2025, a Prince William County jury convicted Edward Jackson Bland on multiple charges, including aggravated murder for killing a pregnant victim to terminate her pregnancy, aggravated murder for killing more than one person, second-degree murder, carjacking, and three counts of use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. His sentencing was scheduled for June 4, 2026.
