In the quiet community of Sutherland, Virginia, the life of 61-year-old Herbert C. Bland Sr. came to a tragic and violent end on January 7, 2013. A respected male figure in his community, Bland Sr. was a loving husband, father, and grandfather, deeply involved in his church and the local Masonic lodge. His death was not a random act of violence, but a devastating culmination of a long and troubled history of mental illness within his own family.
The man responsible for his death was his own son, Herbert C. Bland Jr.
The events of that fateful day began to unfold in Chesterfield County, where a chilling discovery was made. The bodies of 42-year-old Elizabeth Fassett, Bland Jr.'s ex-girlfriend, and her 65-year-old mother, Barbara Fassett, were found at their River Road home. Both women had been shot in the head. The investigation quickly pointed to Bland Jr. as the primary suspect. Unbeknownst to the authorities at that moment, the violent spree had not ended there.
Having allegedly committed the double murder in Chesterfield, Bland Jr. then made the 20-minute drive to his parents' home in Dinwiddie. His father, Herbert C. Bland Sr., had become increasingly wary of his son's erratic behavior. Earlier that day, Bland Sr. had contacted the Dinwiddie County Sheriff's Office to report that his firearm was missing and that he suspected his son had taken it. The call foreshadowed the tragedy that was to come. When Bland Jr. arrived at the family home, a violent confrontation erupted between father and son. It is believed that a gunfight ensued, which resulted in Herbert C. Bland Sr. being fatally shot in the head. His son also sustained a gunshot wound to the chest during the altercation. When law enforcement arrived at the scene, they found a grim tableau, and Bland Jr. reportedly confessed to shooting his father.
The subsequent investigation revealed a deeply troubled history. Herbert C. Bland Jr., who was 23 at the time of the killings, had a documented history of mental illness, including diagnoses of paranoid schizophrenia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, anxiety, and depression. There had been prior instances of violence, including an incident in August 2010 where Herbert C. Bland Sr. had shot his son in the leg in what was determined to be an act of self-defense. Despite court-ordered psychiatric treatment, the younger Bland's mental state continued to deteriorate, leading to the tragic events of January 7, 2013.
In the aftermath of the killings, the legal process began, though it was fraught with delays due to Bland Jr.'s mental state. In February 2013, he was deemed incompetent to stand trial and was committed to Central State Hospital for treatment. By October of that same year, his competency was deemed to have been restored, and the legal proceedings moved forward. Herbert C. Bland Jr. faced two first-degree murder charges and related firearm charges for the deaths of Elizabeth and Barbara Fassett in Chesterfield County. He was also charged in connection with the death of his father in Dinwiddie County. Ultimately, in 2015, he was found not guilty by reason of insanity for the murders of the Fassetts, and a similar verdict was reached for the killing of his father. As a result, he was committed to a mental hospital for indefinite inpatient treatment. As of 2019, he remained committed, with a court order denying him weekend passes to the very home where he had taken his father's life.
