Survivors Sue VA Sheriff After Catfishing Deputy Killed CA Family

WASHINGTON COUNTY, VA — A California family is suing a Virginia sheriff's department after a "catfishing" former deputy kidnapped a 15-year-old girl and murdered her mother and grandparents before setting their house on fire, according to a lawsuit filed Thursday.

The complaint against the Washington County Sheriff's Office in Virginia comes nearly a year after Austin Lee Edwards, 28, murdered 38-year-old Brooke Winek and her parents, 69-year-old Mark Winek and 65-year-old Sharie Winek, in their Riverside, California, home.

Edwards then set the house on fire and kidnapped Brooke Winek's teenage daughter by forcing her into his car.

Edwards died in a shootout with San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department deputies on Nov. 25, though an investigation determined his death was from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The 15-year-old girl was safely rescued.

The lawsuit filed by attorneys for the family claims the Washington County Sheriff's Office should not have hired Edwards due to his history of mental illness and violence, according to court documents.

The complaint accuses the agency and Edwards' estate of negligent hiring, wrongful death, deprivation of rights and violation of California's Bane Act.

The complaint was filed on behalf of Mark and Sharie Winek's surviving daughter, Mychelle Blandin. A second surviving minor child of Brooke Winek, identified in court papers as "B.W.," is also listed as a plaintiff.

"Edwards never should have been hired by the sheriff's department. He was barred by the courts from owning or possessing a gun because of his mental illness and because he was a clear danger to the community," said lead attorney David Ring. "He used his position as a sheriff's deputy and the gun they gave him to kill these innocent victims."

Edwards, of Chesterfield, worked as a Virginia State Police officer before he was hired as a deputy for the Washington County Sheriff's Office, a position he held at the time of the Winek family slayings. Following the killings, both law enforcement agencies said no red flags were raised during their hiring and subsequent employment of Edwards.

In December 2022, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin requested the state inspector general look into Edwards' hiring.

Before the killings, authorities said Edwards adopted the online persona of a 17-year-old boy in order to cultivate an online relationship with Brooke Winek's 15-year-old daughter, identified in court papers as "R.W." He sent romantic messages to R.W. and learned personal information about her, according to the complaint.

On the morning of Nov. 25, he arrived at the Winek home on Price Court, parked his red Kia Soul, and walked to the residence, Riverside police reported.

"Edwards gained entry to the home by identifying himself as a law enforcement officer, displaying his law enforcement badge and service weapon, and falsely claiming that he was conducting a law enforcement investigation," according to the complaint.

Only Mark and Sharon Winek were home. Acting as an official investigator, Edwards instructed Sharon to call her daughter, Brooke. When she answered the phone, her mother told her a detective at the home was there to ask questions about a prior incident involving R.W. Sharon told her daughter the detective wanted Brooke and R.W. to come home immediately, the complaint alleges.

Brooke complied with Edwards' requests, including that when she arrived home, she should go inside for questioning while R.W. remained in her mother's vehicle for separate interrogation.

After some time passed, R.W. decided to go in the home. Once inside, she discovered Edwards "had murdered her mother by slitting her throat," according to the complaint.

He also murdered R.W.'s grandparents. "Her grandparents were both hogtied with bags over their heads, but at least one of them was still moving when R.W. entered the home," according to the complaint. Their death certificates show they died by asphyxiation.

Edwards then set the house on fire and kidnapped R.W. at gunpoint with his service weapon.

Following a law enforcement chase and gun battle in the Mojave Desert, Edwards died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound on the same day as the killings.

According to the lawsuit, the plaintiffs seek damages to be determined at trial. Attorneys' fees are also sought. The suit was filed in U.S. District Court.