Preliminary Hearing Set for Arlington Sheriff's Deputy Charged with Murder

Craig Patterson, the Arlington County sheriff’s deputy charged with the murder of Julian Dawkins, will have a preliminary hearing in that case Aug. 6.

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The date was set Friday morning by agreement of counsel, according to an email from Commonwealth’s Attorney Randy Sengel. 

Patterson, 44, was arrested and charged with Dawkins’ murder May 30. He was denied bond during his arraignment on May 31.

He is being held at the William G. Truesdale Adult Detention Center and is on unpaid administrative leave with the Arlington Sheriff's Office pending the outcome of an internal investigation.

• See: Arlington Sheriff's Deputy Accused of Murder Denied Bond

Dawkins, a 22-year-old shuttle driver for PBS NewsHour and a T.C. Williams High School graduate, was shot in the chest early the morning of May 22 in the 100 block of Lynhaven Drive in Alexandria.

Witnesses heard Patterson and Dawkins arguing and then later saw Patterson shoot Dawkins, Sengel said at last week’s arraignment.   

Dawkins’ funeral was May 31 at Antioch Church of Christ. The crowd was so large it swelled out into the intersection of Queen and N. Fayette streets in Old Town, according to PBS Newshour.

Gwen Ifill, a senior correspondent with NewsHour, spoke at the service.

Dawkins was in the same third-grade class in 2000 as Kevin Shifflett, the victim of one of the most grisly crimes in Alexandria's history.

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