by Ireland Hayes | Aug 28, 2026 | Crime and Courts, Sidebar
Before Chester Brown made the decision Aug. 12 to represent himself at his upcoming murder trial, his attorney, Paul Fore, filed over 20 motions asking Rappahannock County Circuit Court Judge Robert Smith to grant them on Brown’s behalf. Here’s how the judge ruled:...
by Ireland Hayes | Jun 22, 2026 | Crime and Courts, Sidebar
Attorneys representing Chester Brown, who is charged with the 2023 murder and strangulation of Doris Critzer in her Washington home, requested a private hearing with a Rappahannock judge to discuss expert witnesses in the case. Commonwealth’s Attorney Art Goff, his...
by Ireland Hayes | Feb 12, 2026 | Crime and Courts, Sidebar, Top Story
A Rappahannock County Circuit Court judge on Monday postponed the murder trial of Chester Brown for seven months to allow time for forensic and DNA analysis to be completed as well as provide Brown’s attorneys time to prepare. Brown is charged in the 2023 murder and...
by Ireland Hayes | Jan 23, 2026 | Crime and Courts, Sidebar
Will trial be elsewhere in Doris Critzer murder case? A Virginia Public Defender Office has agreed to represent Chester Brown, who has been charged with first-degree murder and strangulation in the death of longtime Washington resident Doris Critzer. “It looks like...
by Ireland Hayes | Dec 12, 2025 | Crime and Courts, Sidebar
Chester Brown’s wish for a new attorney was granted in Rappahannock County Circuit Court Monday, but a change of venue request was not accepted for his trial on charges of murdering Doris Critzer in her Washington home in August 2023. Brown’s attorney Ryan Rakness...