The top prosecutor in Spotsylvania County, Virginia, says his office is giving its full attention to the reported July 20 attack on Amylah Majors and Jamaria Gaskins, a married Black lesbian couple who say they were chased, threatened at gunpoint, and nearly killed in what they describe as a racially motivated hate crime.
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“I am taking the case very seriously and immediately requested a thorough investigation of all of the facts and circumstances when the case first came to my attention, which is underway,” Commonwealth’s Attorney Ryan Mehaffey told The Advocate. “All relevant charges, including potential hate crime charges, will be considered upon completion of the investigation. Our office vigorously prosecutes crimes.”
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That Sunday, Majors and Gaskins were driving on Partlow Road, a wooded, two-lane stretch in rural Spotsylvania County, about 60 miles north of Richmond and 65 miles southwest of Washington, D.C., when they hit debris and pulled over to inspect their vehicle. What followed, Majors said, was a violent encounter with three white people who emerged from a nearby home and began shouting racial slurs and threats.
“We were chased, threatened with firearms, and called racial slurs by three white individuals who acted as if they were part of a white supremacist group — two men and one woman,” Majors wrote in a public GoFundMe post. “Two of them physically attacked my wife while brandishing a gun and shouting threats. They called us ‘n*ggers,’ told us we didn’t belong there, and one of them even exposed himself while screaming hate and slurs at us.”
Majors said she was on the phone with police during the confrontation. “As we tried to leave, all three of them jumped into vehicles and chased us down the road. One of them rode up beside us on a 4-wheeler and aimed a gun directly at my head through the driver’s window. In that moment, we truly believed we weren’t going to make it out alive.”
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The couple’s vehicle crashed during the chase. “I was ejected from the car,” Majors wrote. “I woke up in the hospital with a fractured spine, broken clavicle, broken rib, severe concussion, and multiple head injuries that required a staple. I am beyond grateful to be alive.”
Majors and Gaskins' wrecked carJamaria Gaskins, Courtesy GoFundMe.com
She said Gaskins walked away with minor physical injuries, “but we were both assaulted, traumatized, and nearly killed. This was not just an accident — this was an attempted act of violence meant to harm and silence us. We will not be silent.”
The Advocate has contacted Majors and Gaskins for an interview.
The Spotsylvania County Sheriff’s Office charged Elizabeth Wolfrey, 32, with brandishing a firearm, and Mark Goodman, 59, with indecent exposure after video footage appeared to show him exposing himself and shouting slurs, Fredericksburg Free Press reports. A third person seen in the video has not been charged. Investigators say the case remains active.
In a written response to The Advocate, Maj. Delbert Myrick, a spokesperson for the Spotsylvania Sheriff’s Office, confirmed that the investigation remains wide-ranging. “The investigation includes all individuals observed in the video. No one will be excluded from potential charges until the investigation is fully concluded,” Myrick wrote.
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He also addressed public concern over delays in sharing information. Though the incident occurred on July 20, the sheriff’s office did not post a public statement until July 30. “The decision to delay a public news release was based on concerns for the victims’ safety,” Myrick said. “An immediate release could have revealed their location and potentially exposed them to further harm and victimization. Once we confirmed that the victims had been discharged and their safety was no longer at immediate risk, we proceeded with the release to ensure transparency while still prioritizing their well-being.”
Responding to broader concerns about racism and public safety in the county, Myrick said, “Spotsylvania County is a diverse and safe community. This particular incident and associated video understandably evokes emotions such as fear, anxiety, and frustration. We at the Sheriff’s Office share these feelings and stand united with our community in condemning all forms of hate, racism, and the use of racial slurs. This behavior has no place in Spotsylvania County or any other community.”
Majors and Gaskins were in the area visiting family in neighboring Caroline County.
“This was hate. Targeted. Deliberate. And deadly,” Majors wrote.
Their GoFundMe campaign, launched July 29, had raised just under $4,000 of a $125,00 goal as of Wednesday.
“We survived something that should’ve ended us,” Majors wrote. “And now we’re speaking out — not just for ourselves, but for everyone who’s ever been targeted and forced to stay quiet.”
Wolfrey and Goodman are scheduled to appear in Spotsylvania General District Court on November 20.
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