Virginia

Virginia might end ‘loophole’ in child marriage law

Published

2 years ago

February 5, 2024

Virginia might end ‘loophole’ in child marriage law

When Judy Wiegand was 13 years old, she got married in a church in Clintwood — near the Kentucky border. She felt she didn’t have a choice; it was the expectation for pregnant women in her community. At the time — around 40 years ago — it was legal in Virginia for an underage and pregnant teenager to get married with parental consent.

In an interview last week, she said she wasn’t compatible with her husband, who allegedly became violent, but because of Kentucky law couldn’t divorce him until she turned 18. Wiegand said she doesn’t blame her family or community for what happened.

“I blame the legal bodies that were supposed to protect me and did not,” said Wiegand, who went on to get a doctorate in physical therapy and now specializes in working with youth.

Wiegand is now part of an effort to tighten Virginia’s laws to ban all underage marriage. While that’s already largely the case after a series of bipartisan reforms passed in 2016, the current law carves out an exception for emancipated minors between the ages of 16 and 18.

Legislation from Del. Karen Keys-Gamarra (D–Fairfax) would end that exemption. On Feb. 2, the full Courts of Justice committee voted to send it back to a subcommittee that had previously voted in favor of the bill.

Subcommittee chair Del. Marcus Simon (D–Fairfax) said last week he’d heard a member of Democratic caucus leadership had concerns that the bill needed more work. Simon said he wasn’t sure who the person was or what they wanted to change.

“Sometimes, these things just happen on the fly,” Simon said.

Neither Keys-Gamarra nor the spokesperson for the House Democratic caucus responded to emails seeking clarity.

In the subcommittee meeting last week, Keys-Gamarra said the change would bring the commonwealth into alignment with international norms established by groups like the United Nations, which seeks to end child marriages by 2030.

Keys-Gamarra’s bill is backed by a range of advocacy groups, including the Virginia chapter of the National Organization for Women, Equality Now, Zonta USA, Tahirih Justice Center, Unchained at Last and Ultraviolet.

I could not hire an attorney or enter into a lease, because I was a minor. I couldn’t even drive, because I wasn’t old enough, and he controlled my entire life.

–Sara, who said she was married at 16 to a 29-year-old

At the meeting, representatives from those groups shared first- and secondhand accounts of child marriages they said involved abuse and coercion.

Aliya Abbas, a self-described child marriage survivor, said she was forced into a marriage with a stranger when she was 17, and alleged she was raped repeatedly and threatened with death when she sought a divorce.

“This emancipation loophole does not save children who are going to be coerced into this human rights abuse,” Abbas said.

Another woman, who identified herself only as Sara, said she was married at 16 to a man 13 years her senior after she became pregnant. She also described being raped and abused.

“I could not escape to a domestic violence shelter, because I was a minor,” Sara said. “I could not hire an attorney or enter into a lease, because I was a minor. I couldn’t even drive, because I wasn’t old enough, and he controlled my entire life.”

Before the General Assembly passed legislation in 2016 that then-Gov. Terry McAuliffe signed into law, Virginia allowed marriages for youth under 16 if the relationship involved a pregnancy and the parents of anyone underage consented. Marriages were also allowed from age 16-18 with parental consent.

The 2016 legislation allowed people between the ages of 16 and 18 to petition the court for emancipation provided a judge found that is “in the best interests of the minor to be emancipated.”

The judge must determine that the underage person is making the decision freely, is “mature enough to make a decision to marry” and wouldn’t have their safety jeopardized by the marriage.

Joshua Hetzler, legislative counsel for The Family Foundation, said the current process has sufficient safeguards and emancipated minors should be treated as adults.

“If somebody is deemed to be a legal adult, and otherwise has all the rights of an adult, and of course, they should have the right to marry as well,” Hetzler said. “Many of us have grandparents where it was common to get married at 16 or 17. And many of them are still married today.”

That logic irked Wiegand, who said women in that era “were basically told what to do.”

“This isn’t about entering into a marriage that is a loving, consenting marriage,” Wiegand said.

It’s unclear how many people in Virginia might be impacted by the change. The advocacy group Unchained at Last estimated nearly 8,000 underage people in Virginia were married between 2000 and 2018.

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Virginia

Man shot, killed by Virginia trooper ID’d after crash ends in deadly stabbing attack

Published

6 hours ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

Man shot, killed by Virginia trooper ID’d after crash ends in deadly stabbing attack

FAIRFAX, Va. (7News) — Virginia State Police have identified the man who was shot and killed by a trooper after a crash ended in a stabbing attack on Interstate 495 Sunday afternoon.

Jared Llamado, 32, of McLean, died at the hospital on Sunday after he was shot.

RELATED | 2 dead, dog killed after stabbing spree, trooper shooting on I-495 in Fairfax County

Investigators said Llamado was confronted by the trooper who opened fire around 1:17 p.m. The trooper was responding to a report of a road rage incident and found Llamado with a knife, according to a news release.

Four stabbing victims, all women, were also found at the scene, along with a dog that was also stabbed.

Michelle Adams, 39, died from her injuries. The dog also did not survive. The three other women were all taken to the hospital with serious injuries, according to VSP. 7News is not identifying the surviving victims.

Investigators said the stabbings stemmed from a crash in the southbound lanes of I-495.

The trooper who opened fire was not hurt and is on leave pending the outcome of the investigation into the use of force.

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Investigators said they do not believe the attack is connected to terrorism.

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Virginia

Two dead after I-495 road rage incident leads to stabbing, Virginia State Police shooting – WTOP News

Published

18 hours ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

Two dead after I-495 road rage incident leads to stabbing, Virginia State Police shooting – WTOP News

A road rage incident led to a shooting involving the Virginia State Police on Sunday on Interstate 495. Four individuals were also stabbed.

Two people are dead Sunday in Annandale, Virginia, after a road rage incident led to a shooting involving Virginia State Police on Interstate 495.

A release issued by the Virginia State Police said a trooper fatally shot a man after responding to a report of a road rage incident on the southbound lanes of I-495 just before 1:30 p.m. at exit 52, near the Little River Turnpike.

The man, transferred to a hospital with serious injuries, has been pronounced dead. VSP said the trooper shot in self-defense after the man confronted him with a knife.

The trooper did not suffer any injuries during the altercation.

Officials found four stabbing victims at the scene, but only identified a 39-year-old woman and a dog. Both the woman and the dog died.

Early findings suggest the stabbings took place after a crash on the Capital Beltway. The crash remains under investigation.

The VSP’s release comes after the main lanes of the Capital Beltway Outer Loop, before Little River Turnpike, were closed to traffic for several hours, only recently opening the express lanes. Main lanes between Arlington Boulevard and the Little River Turnpike remain closed.

Stay with WTOP for the latest developments.

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Virginia

Virginia Huffman Obituary February 27, 2026 – Ott & Lee Funeral Homes

Published

1 day ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

Virginia Huffman Obituary February 27, 2026 – Ott & Lee Funeral Homes

Mary “Virginia” Huffman, 82, of Pelahatchie, Mississippi, passed away on February 27, 2026.

Born on February 28, 1943, in Morton, Mississippi, she was the daughter of Carl and Nannie Mae Bradshaw. She married the love of her life, Jimmy Lavell Huffman, on June 14, 1963, and together they built a life rooted in faith, family, and hard work. Virginia devoted nearly 50 years to teaching high school math, beginning at Morton High School and later serving at East Rankin Academy. Generations of students were shaped by her steady guidance, high expectations, and deep belief in their potential. Many would say they entered college prepared because they had learned from “Mrs. Huffman.” Her students knew the famous “Mrs. Huffman look,” but no one understood it quite like her children and grandchildren. To many, she was more than a teacher—she was a mentor, encourager, and second mother.

A faithful member of Cross Roads Baptist Church, Virginia was a true matriarch and prayer warrior whose life was anchored in her love for the Lord. She woke each morning to study the Word of God and carried that faith into every conversation, classroom, and season of life. She played piano and organ, sang in the choir, and on Sunday mornings could often be found at home practicing the piano before church—something her family dearly loved listening to. She served her church and community with quiet devotion. Whether tutoring students during the summer, helping families in need, or visiting church members, she consistently lived out a servant’s heart.

She loved farm life—raising chickens and cows, cutting hay, tending her flower beds, and cooking for the people she loved. She was especially known for her strawberry pies, egg custard, and caramel cake (see Cheryl Moore for the recipe). She faithfully attended her grandchildren’s sporting events and found her greatest joy in cheering on her family. She loved deeply and wholeheartedly, treating not only her own children and grandchildren as treasures, but embracing many others in her community as if they were her own.

She is survived by her husband, Jimmy Lavell Huffman; her children, Connie Goodman (Mike), Karen Jones, and Jade Huffman; her grandchildren, Christin (Colby) (Candace), Christopher (Victoria), Dillon, Marley, Halle (Elijah), Kyla Kate, and Eli; her great-grandchildren, Autumn, Titus, Sophia, Liam, Scarlett, Luke, and Ava; and her siblings, Paul (Joyce) and Delilah.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Carl and Nannie Mae Bradshaw; her in-laws, Clyde Sr. and Zora Huffman; her son, Scot Huffman; and her sisters, May Erving and Maxine Strong.

Virginia will be remembered as a woman of unwavering faith, steadfast strength, and extraordinary love. Her legacy lives on in the family she nurtured, the students she prepared, and the countless lives she covered in prayer.

Visitation will be held from 5:00 pm – until on Sunday, March 1, 2026 at Cross Roads Baptist Church in Pelahatchie and again on Monday, March 2, 2026 from 12 pm – 1 pm.

Services will be held at 1pm Monday, March 2, 2026 at Cross Roads Baptist Church with burial in the church cemetery.

Bro. John Vaughn, Bro. Gary Morris and Bro. Steven Platt will officate the services.

Pallbearers will be Tim Wolverton, Colby Boyd, Christopher Wilson, Dillon Pettigrew, Eli Huffman and Elijah Moore.

Ott and Lee Funeral Home in Morton is honored to serve the Huffman family.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the Cross Roads Baptist Church Building Fund.

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