Man still hospitalized after possible murder, suicide attempt

By Elisa Glushefski

Published: August 5, 2008

The 53-year-old man found suffering from stab wounds following what appears to be an attempted murder-suicide last week is still being hospitalized and is reported to be in stable condition, Manassas City police said Tuesday.

Police are still trying to establish the timeline of events and determine who initiated the attack, but preliminary findings indicate that Mikuel Gaskins stabbed his girlfriend, 44-year-old Chantie Brooks, to death before turning the knife on himself, said Sgt. Tim Neumann, city police spokesman.

Investigators have not yet been able to speak with Gaskins, police said. No charges have been placed against him.

"We have to do all the investigation to make sure nothing else could have happened," Neumann said.

Officers were called to the town house the two shared on Aspen Place in Georgetown South around 12:21 p.m. Thursday after two of Gaskins' relatives and a neighbor discovered him and Brooks in an upstairs bedroom.

The relatives went to the town house to check on Gaskins after making several attempts to reach him by cell phone, police said. They saw his car outside and entered the house through an unlocked window after knocking on the door and getting no answer.

Police are still trying to determine whether the two were going through a break-up, Neumann said.

An autopsy has been performed on Brooks, but the official cause of death is pending police's investigation, according to the Medical Examiner's Office.

Staff writer Elisa Glushefski can be reached at 703-878-8062.