First murder of the year in Prince William County reported by police department

Murder Investigation – On January 1st at 1:33AM, officers responded to a residence located in the 15100 block of Concord Dr in Woodbridge (22193) to investigate a stabbing.

The investigation revealed that the victim was visiting a female acquaintance at their home in the above area. The acquaintance was asleep when she woke to the sound of the victim screaming.

Upon checking on the victim, the accused, identified as the victim’s husband, was seen chasing the victim inside the home. During the encounter, the accused repeatedly stabbed the victim to the upper body. At one point, the female acquaintance was also struck in the face by the accused.

After the altercation, the accused fled the home and got into a vehicle. While fleeing, the accused crashed the vehicle into a tree in the area of Concord Dr and Cloverdale Rd where he then fled on foot.

The victim’s acquaintance ran to a neighbor’s residence where police were contacted.

The victim sustained multiple stab wounds and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Detectives from the Homicide Unit quickly determined the incident was domestic related and identified the suspect as the accused. Officers set up a perimeter in the surrounding neighborhood and conducted an extensive search.

During the search, a Virginia State Police trooper located an individual matching the suspect’s description on I-95. When approached by the trooper, the suspect continued to flee on foot towards the rest area.

A police K-9 and helicopter from Fairfax County Police were used to aid in the search for the accused. The police helicopter located the suspect in a wooded area on Neabsco Mills Rd where officers detained him without further incident.

Detectives learned that the accused went to the residence to speak to the victim over an ongoing dispute. A verbal altercation subsequently ensued which escalated physically resulting in the stabbing. Following the investigation, the accused was arrested. This is Prince William County’s 1st murder of 2015.

          Arrested on January 1st:

          John Nathaniel SHERWOOD, 22, of no fixed address

          Charged with murder and assault & battery

          Court date: pending | Bond: held WITHOUT bond

  Identified:

          The victim has been identified as Erica Renae SHERWOOD, 21, of Triangle