In the quiet community of Keeling, Virginia, a tragedy unfolded on August 27, 2019, claiming the lives of three family members. Emily Marie Bernard Bivens, a 24-year-old female, was found deceased at a residence alongside her 14-month-old son, Cullen Micah Bivens, and her 62-year-old mother, Joan Jefferson Bernard. A neighbor discovered Joan Bernard's body in the driveway after hearing gunshots and placed a call to 911.
When authorities arrived, they found Emily and her young son inside the home. All three victims had been shot.
The ensuing investigation quickly focused on a family member, Emily's younger brother, Matthew Thomas Bernard, who was 18 years old at the time. His identification as a suspect launched a manhunt involving nearly 100 officers. The search caused local schools to be placed on lockdown as police warned residents that an armed and dangerous individual was at large. The search came to a strange and public conclusion when Bernard emerged from a wooded area, naked and unarmed. He was seen on camera running from police, giving chase to an officer, and attempting to choke a church caretaker before being apprehended. He was taken into custody after an officer used mace and a baton to subdue him. After his arrest, he was placed on suicide watch after banging his head against the inside of the police car.
Matthew Bernard was charged with three counts of first-degree murder and three counts of using a firearm in the commission of a felony. The legal proceedings that followed were prolonged and complex. For years, the case remained in limbo as Bernard was repeatedly found mentally incompetent to stand trial. He was ordered to undergo treatment, and court documents later revealed he had been treated for schizophrenia.
After numerous evaluations and years of treatment, a significant development occurred in the summer of 2024. A judge ruled that Bernard's competency had been restored, making him eligible to stand trial for the killings. In August 2024, a grand jury officially indicted him on the murder and weapons charges, nearly five years after the deaths of his mother, sister, and nephew.
