Crime & Safety

Woman Found Dead in Ellicott City was an Attorney

A woman found dead Saturday in an Ellicott City townhome worked as an attorney in Washington, D.C.

A woman found dead in a Bonnybridge Place townhouse from an apparent gunshot wound was an attorney at Pillsbury Winthrop in the law firm's tax practice in Washington, D.C.

Police, responding to a neighbor's call Saturday night, found Clare Lenor Stoudt, 35, and Reginald Van Graves, 49, dead in the townhome at 3762 Bonnybridge—both apparent victims of gunshots. There were no signs of forced entry into the home, according to police.

Court records showed the couple was in the midst of a custody dispute.

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Stoudt had been an associate at Pillsbury Winthrop since 2008, the year she graduated from Georgetown University Law Center.

Christine Kearns, office managing partner, described Stoudt as a gifted tax lawyer. Stoudt was also "a loving mother and truly beautiful person," Kearns added in an email.

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"We are deeply saddened by her loss, and by the tragic circumstances of her death," she said. "Our thoughts and prayers are with Clare's children and the rest of her family."

Police said there were three children, ages 7, 5 and 2 living in the house with Stoudt and Graves, who were not married.

Stoudt filed a complaint for child custody on Sept. 7 against Graves, according to Maryland judiciary records. The records list Graves' address on Bonnybridge Place but Stoudt's address at another location in Ellicott City.

According to the court records, Stoudt requested sole physical custody and joint legal custody of the children, also requesting that Graves have visitation rights.  According to the records, Stoudt did not allege any physical or sexual abuse of either herself or the children.

"I can provide a safe, stable home for the children," Stoudt said in the filing.

According to police, dispatch received a 911 call around 6 p.m. Saturday  from a person reporting that a child had found two injured bodies inside of a neighboring home.

When emergency crews responded, they found a man and a woman, both dead, inside the home. It appeared both had traumatic injuries, police said.

On Sunday morning a neighbor came outside to check on visitors to the house. She declined to give her name, but described Stoudt, Graves and the children as "a lovely family that always went for walks together in the evening."

A young woman who identified herself as Graves' daughter was being interviewed at the police station late Sunday morning.


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