Va. Beach man pleads guilty to killing wife
Victim’s 3 children were nearby at time of shooting
A Virginia Beach man pleaded guilty Wednesday to fatally shooting his wife while the woman’s three young children were in the house.
Brandon Wysong, 34, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, illegal use of a firearm and being a violent felon in possession of a firearm, according to a plea agreement filed with the court. In exchange, prosecutors agreed to seek no more than 30 years in prison when Wysong is sentenced in May.
The shooting happened in November 2019 at the couple’s home, near the intersection of Great Neck and Wolfsnare roads.
According to a statement of facts entered into evidence, Elena Wysong left the house that afternoon with her children — ages 12, 5 and 4 — due to her husband’s behavior. The 12-year-old was Elena’s Wysong’s daughter from a previous relationship but she shared the other two with Brandon Wysong.
Elena Wysong and the children came back to the house later, however, to pick up her 12-year-old daughter’s pregnant cat, the statement said, and discovered that Brandon Wysong had destroyed multiple items in the house and flung them around.
The couple got into an argument in the living room, where Brandon Wysong butted his wife in the forehead, the statement said. The 12-year-old told police she saw Brandon Wysong pull her mother into the laundry room and shut the door while armed with a gun. The girl said she heard her mother scream followed by gunshots. She saw Brandon Wysong flee through a back door.
Unable to get into the room at first because her mother’s body was blocking the door, the girl eventually was able to break in. Once inside, she wrapped her mother’s head in towels to try to stop the bleeding and attempted CPR, the statement said. She found her mother’s phone in her pocket and called 911.
Police found Brandon Wysong hiding in a wooded area a short time later, and he admitted to shooting his wife, the statement said.