Police say Tonitha White broke up with Richard Nichols about two weeks before he knocked on her door, intending to kill her.
On Tuesday, the state medical examiner's office officially ruled Monday's shooting deaths of White and Nichols a murder-suicide, said Prince William County police spokeswoman Erika Hernandez.
White, 39, was shot on the upper level of her home while seven children in her home day care program huddled in a downstairs bathroom. White's 12-year-old daughter had gathered them there when she heard gunshots about 7 a.m. at the house on Roundtree Drive in Dale City.
White's 9-year-old son was home at the time, sleeping in his room, Hernandez said.
Police said White and Nichols, 49, had been neighbors on Rockcliff Lane in Dale City and were involved in a relationship. White had moved to Roundtree Drive about a year ago. She ended the relationship with Nichols last month, police said.
It was unclear Tuesday how long the two had been together. Police say they have never received reports of domestic violence involving the two and neither had a criminal record.
White had been running a home day care program for six years and never had a violation, according to the state department of social services.
A family member said White's son and daughter handled the situation remarkably well, and relatives are rallying to help them through their mother's death.
"It is a very sad thing that has happened to their mother, and we will all be there right by their side," said the relative, who did not want to be identified.
Communities editor Kari Pugh can be reached at 703-878-8056.
Email
Facebook
Google
Twitter
Favorites
More
Advertisement