JURY RECOMMENDS MAXIMUM SENTENCE IN FELONY DOMESTIC ASSAULT CASE

For immediate release: September 30, 2025.

Chesapeake, Va. - Matthew R. Hamel, Commonwealth's Attorney for the City of Chesapeake, announced that Barry Chandler, age 63, of Chesapeake, VA, was convicted by a jury of the felony of Assault and Battery of a Family Member, 3rd or Subsequent Offense, and an additional charge of misdemeanor assault and battery on September 24, 2025. The jury heard three days of testimony before returning their verdict and recommended a sentence of five years imprisonment on the felony charge and twelve months jail incarceration on the misdemeanor charge, which is the maximum sentence for both crimes.

The Commonwealth's evidence established that on December 3, 2024, the police responded to the home of the defendant after receiving a complaint of assault from a friend of the victim. When officers arrived on scene, they found the defendant and his minor daughter, who claimed that her father had beaten and choked her outside their home two days prior. The victim still had physical marks consistent with an assault and was taken to a hospital for treatment. The defendant was arrested that day. The jury also heard evidence that the defendant had four prior convictions of domestic assault dating back to as early as 2012. The defendant remains in custody pending formal sentencing by the Honorable Linda L. Bryant of the Chesapeake Circuit Court, who presided over the trial. Under Virginia statutes, the Judge may impose the jury's entire recommended sentence, or suspend any or all of it.

The case was investigated by Officers A. Quiles and A. Black of the Chesapeake Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant Commonwealth's Attorneys Arielle Mitchell and Devon Parsons, with significant assistance from Ortoria Hymons of the Chesapeake Victim Witness Program. Please contact Gloria Nuss at 757-382-3200 for additional information, if desired.