In the quiet community of Centreville, Virginia, a tragedy unfolded that cut short the life of 45-year-old Esmeralda Renderos. On a Sunday morning in early November 2020, police were called to a townhouse on Black Horse Court for a report of a shooting. Outside the home, they discovered Renderos, who had sustained a gunshot wound. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Further investigation inside the residence revealed the body of 37-year-old Henry Cardona, who also had an apparent
gunshot wound. Law enforcement officials quickly pieced together the sequence of events, determining that the incident was a murder-suicide. Renderos and Cardona were married but were believed to have been separated at the time.
The preliminary investigation led detectives to believe that Cardona shot Renderos as she arrived at the home. Following this fatal act, Cardona then turned the gun on himself, ending his own life. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner was tasked with conducting autopsies to formally confirm the cause and manner of both deaths. As the case was determined to be a murder-suicide, there was no ongoing search for other suspects.
