DC sniper, Bobbitt prosecutor Paul Ebert dies at 88 

Former Prince William County Commonwealth’s Attorney Paul Ebert, who during his five-decade career prosecuted high-profile cases against D.C. sniper John Allen Muhammad and 1990s tabloid mainstays Lorena and John Wayne Bobbitt, has died at 88. 

Ebert died June 23 from complications of Parkinson’s disease, according to the Prince William Times.  

Born in Roanoke, Ebert moved to Northern Virginia as a young child and later earned his undergraduate degree from Virginia Tech. In a 2023 oral history interview with the Prince William County Office of Historic Preservation, Ebert said he originally intended to become a dentist but “didn’t want to look in somebody’s mouth for the rest of my life,” so he attended law school at George Washington University. 

After graduating law school in 1963, Ebert practiced at Ebert & Murphy with Bill Murphy while taking on part-time work as an assistant commonwealth’s attorney. 

A career-long Democrat, Ebert defeated Floyd Bagley in the 1967 election for Prince William County Commonwealth’s Attorney. At 30, he became the youngest person to serve in the role in Virginia.  

Ebert would remain in the role for 13 terms, retiring in 2019 at the age of 81 as the oldest person to serve as Prince William County’s top prosecutor. At the time of his retirement, Ebert’s 52 years in office also made him the longest-serving commonwealth’s attorney in Virginia history. 

During his tenure, Ebert was lead prosecutor for a pair of nationally prominent criminal cases. 

In 1993, Prince William County made international headlines after Lorena Bobbitt severed her husband John Bobbitt’s penis following documented domestic abuse. Ebert prosecuted John Bobbitt for marital sexual assault and Lorena Bobbitt for malicious wounding. Both were acquitted, and the couple later divorced. 

A decade later, Ebert prosecuted John Allen Muhammad, one of the perpetrators of the D.C. sniper attacks that killed 10 people in a matter of weeks in October 2002. Muhammad was found guilty and sentenced to death, the first capital murder conviction handed down under Virginia’s terrorism statute. 

Muhammad was executed in 2009, one of 15 individuals Ebert prosecuted who were put to death, according to his recollection for the oral history project. 

Ebert announced his intentions to retire in 2019 due to health reasons, foregoing the opportunity to run for a 14th term. Current Prince William County Commonwealth’s Attorney Amy Ashworth succeeded Ebert. 

“Mr. Ebert always stressed the importance of fairness, while never forgetting the need to protect public safety,” Ashworth said in a statement. 

Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell, D-Fairfax, wrote a tribute to Ebert on social media. 

“Sorry to learn of the passing of this legend,” Surovell wrote. “Paul Ebert was at the center of criminal justice in Northern Virginia for nearly five decades and did much to keep our communities safe.” 

Ebert was predeceased by his wife, Priscilla, who died in 1983 of a heart attack. He is survived by his three children.