In the spring of 2020, a promising life was tragically cut short in Norfolk, Virginia. Amarea Ware, a 23-year-old woman, was just weeks away from a significant milestone: her graduation from Old Dominion University and her commissioning as an infantry officer in the United States Army. Her future, filled with the promise of service and leadership, was abruptly and violently extinguished on the evening of Thursday, April 9, 2020.
Concern for her well-being led police to her residence in
the 2600 block of Colonial Avenue. Upon entering the home around 7:20 p.m., officers made a grim discovery. Amarea Ware was found deceased, having suffered from multiple gunshot wounds. Alongside her was the body of 26-year-old Rexford B. Tomlinson. Investigators determined that Tomlinson had taken his own life with a single gunshot.
The investigation into the deaths of Ware and Tomlinson concluded that the incident was a murder-suicide. According to law enforcement, Tomlinson was identified as the perpetrator who ended Ware's life before turning the weapon on himself. As a result, authorities were not searching for any other suspects in connection with this case. A fundraising page created by Ware's family confirmed the devastating nature of her death, stating that she was murdered by her boyfriend in an act of domestic violence.
The final determination of the cause and manner of death was left to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, who would formally confirm the tragic sequence of events that transpired in the Norfolk home. The loss of Amarea Ware was described by her family as the silencing of a 'Rock Star' whose energy, courage, and compassion had deeply touched all who knew her.
