By Gabriela Rose
MANASSAS, VA – Paul B. Ebert, a Virginia prosecutor known for his involvement in many high-profile cases, has been accused of withholding evidence in a 1993 murder case, according to an article by Courthouse News Service.
Ebert was the longest serving commonwealth attorney for Prince William County and the cities of Manassas and Manassas Park from 1967 to 2019, and was well known for pursuing the death penalty in the majority of murder cases.
He led infamous cases such as the 2003 trial of John Allen Muhammed, one of the Washington, D.C., snipers, and the 1993 and 1994 trials of John and Lorena Bobbitt, as noted by Courthouse News Service.
The article outlines the details of a petition filed with the Prince William County Circuit Court this past Wednesday, regarding the conviction of Louis Jefferson Dukes, Jr., who is currently serving life at the Haynesville Correctional Center.
The petition identifies incidents of fraud and misrepresentation of evidence perpetrated by Paul B. Ebert, the prosecutor in the 1993 murder trial.
The Courthouse News Service writes Jose M. Cavazos, a 50-year-old trooper, was gunned down at a traffic stop and police dogs subsequently tracked Louis Jefferson Dukes, Jr., and his nephew Lonnie Weeks, Jr., to a motel, identifying them as the shooters. While Dukes’ nephew was assigned the death penalty and executed in 2009, Dukes received life in prison.
Dukes’ petition claims, however, that a serology report was used by the prosecution to establish that Dukes was in close proximity to the trooper at the time of the murder was made on false grounds, said Courthouse News Service.
The media outlet quoted a section of the petition that states Ebert knew blood found on Dukes’ jacket did not belong to the victim and continued to argue the blood was proof of the petitioner’s proximity.
The Courthouse News article mentions communication between Ebert and Dukes’ prison cellmate, who had been seeking a reduced sentence. According to the petition, Ebert told the inmate that testifying in Dukes’ case “certainly would not hurt.”
While the prosecutor is now retired, the petition requests the court set aside the conviction of Dukes, Jr., the article added, noting while Prince Williams’ current commonwealth attorney Amy Ashworth has made no comment, that office or the state attorney general will be responsible for the case.
