The budget deal Virginia Democrats proposed—now on Gov. Abigail Spanberger's (D.) desk—provides $100,000 for a statue honoring a former circuit court judge who admitted to having a sexual relationship with the mother of a convicted murderer while providing legal help in her son's case.
Grace Church alleged in a 2023 court filing that then-Roanoke City circuit court judge Onzlee Ware promised to intervene with the judge overseeing a murder trial against her son—who was accused of beating a man to death—and provided legal assistance like reviewing and annotating a psychological evaluation and editing remarks she prepared to deliver at her son's sentencing. Before he would offer advice, however, "I had to have sex with him first in each encounter with him," Church wrote.
The accusation prompted the Judicial Inquiry and Review Commission to place Ware on paid suspension and launch an investigation. He admitted to the sexual relationship and to providing legal advice, but the probe didn't corroborate that he did so on a quid pro quo basis or that he pressured the trial judge. It did, however, determine that Ware violated two canons of judicial conduct requiring judges to maintain integrity, independence, and impartiality and put him on a 12-month supervision agreement. He died a few weeks later following a short battle with cancer.
Roughly two and a half years after the investigation concluded, Democrats proposed a budget with funding earmarked to honor Ware, a former Democratic state lawmaker. It includes an amendment providing $100,000 for "the City of Roanoke to support commemoration activities." An earlier version noted that the funds were specifically for "a statue dedicated to Judge Onzlee Ware as the centerpiece" of a plaza renamed for him last year.
The budget passed mostly along party lines and was sent to Spanberger's desk on Monday. She praised the plan but hasn't indicated whether she will approve the legislation. She has a week to sign it, propose amendments, or veto it.
Spanberger, who has promised to make affordability a centerpiece of her administration, can also make line-item vetoes, but she did not respond to inquiries asking where she stood on funding for the statue.
House Appropriations Committee chairman Luke Torian (D.) championed the funding for Ware's statue, according to Cardinal News. State delegate Sam Rasoul (D.) said Ware—the first black delegate from western Virginia and second black judge from the region, according to Cardinal News—"was a bit of a mentor to Torian," who has lauded the late adjudicator as a "great statesman," "a great gentleman," and a "treasure to the General Assembly."
Neither Torian nor Rasoul returned requests for comment.
Ware's relationship and legal coaching began in 2019 as Church's son, Timothy Church, faced a murder charge after beating a 60-year-old motel manager to death with a baseball bat. Police found Timothy Church standing over the manager's wife and daughter, who suffered fractured bones and a concussion. Church also faced malicious wounding charges along with three counts of attempted robbery.
Ware continued helping Grace Church even after her son was convicted. She alleged that Ware promised her son's sentence would receive less than seven years in prison—instead, Timothy Church was sentenced to life plus 55 years.
Grace Church said Ware "never called me again" after her son was sentenced, adding that she felt "cheap, used, wasted" and "did not want to continue living anymore." Her court filing was included as part of Timothy Church's 2023 bid for a new trial in light of Ware's involvement, a bid that was rejected.
