The widow of a Tennessee Army National Guard soldier found shot to death and bound in his home five years ago has been charged with murder after investigators said the couple was in the midst of a “bitter” divorce and custody battle at the time.
According to the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office, Amanda James Bishop, 39, was taken into custody Tuesday along with her cousin, Eric Austin Byrd, 39, for the brutal murder of her 35-year-old husband, Jacob Bishop, in 2019.
In the first major update in the long-running homicide investigation, investigators said Bishop, a father of two, was in the midst of divorce proceedings with his wife when he was shot and killed in their Lenoir City home on Oct. 1, 2019.
They now believe the motive for killing the soldier may have been a separation and subsequent custody battle over their daughter.
“They had been engaged in a heated battle over custody of their child and we believe this sparked animosity between them that ultimately led to the murder of their son,” Sheriff Jimmy Davis said at a news conference.
News of the arrest comes years after Bishop’s mother discovered the National Guard’s body on the morning of Oct. 1, bound on the living room floor of her home and suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.
She made the distressing discovery after being unable to reach Mr Bishop, who had only just returned from a nine-month stay in Poland, by phone and using a spare key to enter his house.
Police initially said they did not believe his death was a random attack, but refrained from releasing the name of a suspect at the time.
But the sheriff said this week that Bishop’s wife was always the prime suspect.
Investigators acknowledged the five-year investigation faced numerous “challenges” but did not reveal how they targeted Bishop’s wife and cousin, other than to say technological advances and new evidence had advanced the case.
They also did not provide details about what role the suspect played in the murder.
“We hope this arrest brings some peace to Jacob Bishop’s family and all those affected by this senseless tragedy,” Davis said.
“This case remains a top priority for our agency and I commend the tireless efforts of our detectives and partner agencies who have worked tirelessly to bring those responsible to justice,” he added.
Both Amanda Bishop and Byrd are being held in the Loudoun County Detention Center on charges of first-degree murder.
Bail was set at $1 million, the sheriff’s office said.
