On Valentine's Day in 2020, 34-year-old Jennifer Norwood and her 6-year-old son, Wyatt, were fatally shot in their Midland, Virginia, home. The tragic discovery was made by Jennifer's husband and Wyatt's father, Joshua Norwood, when he returned home from work. Upon entering the house, Joshua was also shot and wounded by his 17-year-old son, Levi Norwood. Despite his injuries, Joshua was able to flee and call for help.
Following the shootings, Levi Norwood fled the scene.
He stole a car and drove to North Carolina, prompting a manhunt. He was apprehended the next day in North Carolina after employees at a store reported him for shoplifting. Authorities who arrested him also recovered the stolen vehicle.
Levi Norwood, who was 17 at the time of the killings, was charged with two counts of murder. In August 2022, he pleaded guilty to the first-degree murder of his mother and the second-degree murder of his brother. During the investigation, claims of physical abuse by his father surfaced as a potential motive. Norwood had also reportedly told his girlfriend that he wanted to kill his mother. Two months after the murders of his wife and youngest son, Joshua Norwood died by suicide.
In February 2023, Levi Norwood, then 20, was sentenced to life in prison plus 40 years. Due to his age at the time of the crime, he will be eligible for parole after serving 20 years. The judge in the case handed down a sentence that exceeded the recommended guidelines, stating that Norwood remained a danger to himself and society.
