On the evening of July 16, 2017, in the 700 block of Huybert Place in Virginia Beach, Virginia, 26-year-old Antonio Sullivan, a Black male, was shot and killed. Police responded to a call at approximately 7:15 p.m. and found Sullivan deceased at the scene. The investigation immediately focused on his wife, 21-year-old Breanna Laren Sullivan, who was present when authorities arrived and was taken into custody.
She was subsequently charged with second-degree murder and the use of a firearm in the commission of a felony.
The relationship between Antonio and Breanna Sullivan was reportedly tumultuous, with a history of domestic disputes. Court records indicated that Antonio had been arrested for assaulting his wife on several occasions, though the charges were often dropped. A protective order taken out by Breanna in February 2017 alleged that Antonio had choked her and held a knife to her throat, and it referenced a 'long history' of domestic violence. Despite this, the couple continued to live together with their three-year-old daughter. At the time of his death, Antonio Sullivan was also in a relationship with another woman, Shannan Crawford, who stated that he had planned to leave his wife but remained in the home to be near his child.
Breanna Sullivan's legal case centered on a claim of self-defense. She maintained that on the night of the shooting, Antonio had threatened to kill her and raised his fist at her, compelling her to act to protect herself and her daughter. Her defense highlighted the years of alleged abuse she had endured. Following her arrest, Breanna made her first court appearance on July 17, 2017, and was denied bond. In a later court proceeding, a judge reduced the charge from second-degree murder to voluntary manslaughter and dismissed the firearm charge.
In December 2018, more than a year after the fatal shooting, a judge acquitted Breanna Sullivan of the voluntary manslaughter charge. In an interview following her acquittal, Sullivan described the outcome not as a 'happy ending' but as the 'best possible outcome' to a tragic situation. She stated that she acted out of fear for her life and the well-being of her daughter.
