On the evening of March 24, 2018, 34-year-old Amanda LeShaun Bates was found deceased in her vehicle at her residence on Richmond Road in Keswick, Virginia. An investigation by the Albemarle County Police Department revealed that she had been shot multiple times in the head while sitting in the driver's seat. Her death was quickly ruled a homicide, marking Albemarle County's first of the year.
The investigation led police to her estranged fiancé, 34-year-old Cardian Omar Eubanks. Evidence indicated that Bates had ended her relationship with Eubanks about a month before her death, and he had subsequently moved out of the home they shared. In the wake of the shooting, Eubanks was arrested and charged with second-degree murder, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. He was held without bond at the regional jail.
During the trial, friends and family provided emotional testimony, painting a picture of a creative, compassionate, and beloved mother and daughter whose life was tragically cut short. The prosecution presented a case that highlighted issues of domestic violence, suggesting that the breakup was the catalyst for the violent encounter. After a jury trial, Cardian Omar Eubanks was found guilty of first-degree murder. The jury recommended a sentence of life in prison for the murder charge, with an additional eight years for the firearms charges.
