Attorney Jessica Aval of the Eastern District of Virginia will be speaking to reporters at a press conference at the Department of Justice on Wednesday, December 6, 2023, as Attorney General Merrick Garland and attorney general for Washington State Attorney General and Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas.
Mark Sieferbein | AP Photo
A former U.S. attorney for Jessica Abber, the Eastern District of Virginia, died in Alexandria on Saturday morning, police said. She was 43 years old.
Police found Aber’s body while responding to a report of a woman who was unresponsive around 9:20 a.m., Alexandria police said in a statement.
Police have not indicated whether they believe the death is suspected and said the inspector’s office will determine the cause and method of the death.
“As a matter of protocol, there is an investigation into the circumstances surrounding her death,” police said.
Aber resigned as a US lawyer on January 20th, and the day President Donald Trump took office.
She was appointed by President Joe Biden on August 10, 2021 and subsequently confirmed by the Senate.
Aber has been the district’s US lawyer aide since 2009 and served as deputy chief of the criminal department before being appointed as a US lawyer, her undergraduate biographies state.
American lawyers are political appointees and can be fired at the will of the president. In February, Trump said true socially, he “instructed to fire” all remaining US lawyers under Biden.
Eric S. Shebert, the district’s US lawyer, said he and the firm were heartbroken over Aber’s death.
“She is unparalleled as a leader, leader and prosecutor, and she is simply irreplaceable as a human being,” he said in a statement.
“She loved Edova, and Edova loved her back,” Sheebert wrote.
Attorney General Pamela Bondi also expressed her sadness, saying, “The loss of Jessica Abber, a former US lawyer for the Eastern District of Virginia, is extremely tragic.”
“Our hearts and prayers go out to her family and friends during this extremely difficult time,” Bondi said.
