Lisa Myers

By Zak Failla From Daily Voice

A Virginia woman who shot and killed her ex-boyfriend during an incident that was recorded inside her Manassas home has been convicted — and released — on manslaughter charges, authorities announced.

Lisa Myers, 60, who originally faced a murder charge, was found guilty of voluntary manslaughter in connection with the November 2021 killing of Travis Deardorff, according to Prince William County Commonwealth's Attorney Amy Ashworth.

She was then released, despite prosecutors' objections.

Investigators said police were called to Myers’ Manassas home on Nov. 27, 2021, after she dialed 911 and reported she had shot her ex-boyfriend — who was also her tenant — in the head.

According to trial evidence, Myers and Deardorff had argued before she went to her bedroom, shut the door, and grabbed a loaded revolver. Prosecutors said Deardorff then entered the room while recording on his phone, and Myers fired a single fatal shot to his head.

Following the jury’s verdict, Judge Willett released Myers from the Adult Detention Center on a personal recognizance bond over the objection of prosecutors. 

She had been held without bond since the 2021 shooting.

Voluntary manslaughter in Virginia is a Class 5 felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison, investigators noted. Myers is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 18, 2025.

“As with many homicide cases, this was a difficult case to prove," Ashworth said after the verdict was announced. "We believed the evidence supported a finding that the murder was premeditated and with malice." 

"That said, we respect the verdict of the jury and hope that the message has been sent that gun violence will not be tolerated in our community," she continued.

"It is entirely appropriate that having been convicted of a violent felony, Ms. Myers will never legally own or possess a firearm again.”