In a tragic turn of events on November 27, 2021, Travis Kelly Deardorff, a 49-year-old White/Caucasian male from Manassas, Virginia, was fatally shot following a heated argument. The incident occurred at a residence on Bradford Lane, where Deardorff was involved in a dispute with his longtime girlfriend, Lisa Gaye Myers. Remembered by friends and family as a kind and generous man with a 'heart of gold,' Deardorff worked as a contractor.
The argument between Deardorff and Myers escalated, leading Myers to retrieve a firearm from a bedroom. According to police reports, Myers then shot Deardorff. Despite being immediately flown to a nearby hospital with life-threatening injuries, Travis Kelly Deardorff succumbed to his wounds. After the shooting, it was Myers herself who contacted emergency services and awaited the arrival of the authorities.
Lisa Gaye Myers, who was 56 years old at the time, was taken into custody at the scene. Initially, she was charged with aggravated malicious wounding. However, following Deardorff's death, the charges against her were upgraded to second-degree murder. Myers was held without bond at the Prince William County Adult Detention Center.
In a subsequent trial, a jury found Lisa Myers, then 60, guilty of the lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter in connection with Deardorff's death. Prosecutors had argued that the evidence pointed towards premeditated murder, but the jury returned a verdict for the lesser offense. Myers was released on a personal recognizance bond following the verdict, pending her sentencing, which was scheduled for December 18, 2025. The conviction for voluntary manslaughter carries a potential sentence of up to 10 years in prison. As a convicted felon, Myers is now legally prohibited from owning or possessing a firearm.
