In the quiet community of Keeling, Virginia, a tragic event unfolded on August 27, 2019, claiming the life of one-year-old Cullen Micah Bivens, his mother, and his grandmother. The young male child was found deceased at a residence on Keeling Drive along with his mother, 24-year-old Emily Marie Bernard Bivens, and his grandmother, 62-year-old Joan Jefferson Bernard.
The family was discovered after a neighbor reported hearing gunshots and found Joan Bernard's body in the driveway.
The incident sparked a manhunt for the suspect, who was identified as 18-year-old Matthew Thomas Bernard, the son of Joan Bernard and brother of Emily Bivens. Authorities described him as armed and dangerous, leading to a lockdown of area schools as law enforcement, numbering around 100 officers, searched for him. The search culminated in a bizarre scene where a naked Matthew Bernard was seen running erratically. He was observed choking a man at a local church before being apprehended by police. During his arrest, he reportedly banged his head against the police car's cage and was subsequently placed on suicide watch.
Matthew Bernard was charged with three counts of first-degree murder and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. In the years following his arrest, Bernard was repeatedly found incompetent to stand trial. However, in July 2024, after receiving treatment for schizophrenia, he was deemed competent to stand trial. The motive for the killings remains unclear.
