In what was a tragic culmination of domestic violence, 35-year-old Lemlem Hayelu Habte, a female resident of Dumfries, Virginia, was killed on March 20, 2019. Her life was taken by her 44-year-old husband, Christopher Andre Quincer, in a murder-suicide that followed a series of escalating altercations.
The events leading to the fatal encounter began the day before, on March 19, 2019, when Habte reported a verbal dispute with Quincer at their Woodbridge home on Balsam Street to the
police. The argument had turned physical, with Quincer assaulting Habte. A family member intervened, separating the couple, and Quincer fled the scene before law enforcement arrived. Habte was taken to a local hospital for treatment of minor injuries. In response to the assault, police secured a misdemeanor warrant for domestic assault and battery against Quincer, as well as an Emergency Protective Order.
After her release from the hospital, police escorted Habte back to her home, but Quincer was not found on the premises. For her safety, Habte then went to stay with relatives at a home on Marjon Court in Dumfries. Police made further attempts to locate Quincer to serve the warrant and protective order but were unsuccessful.
The following morning, on March 20, Quincer drove to the Marjon Court residence where Habte was staying. He confronted her and, during the ensuing encounter, fatally shot her before turning the gun on himself. Both Lemlem Hayelu Habte and Christopher Andre Quincer were pronounced dead at the scene. Other family members were present in the home at the time of the shooting but were not physically harmed. The case was classified as a murder-suicide, and with the sole suspect deceased, no arrests were made.
