Elizabeth Ashe has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and unlawful discharge of a firearm in a building, more than three years after her girlfriend, 26-year-old Ashley McCoy, was fatally shot inside their shared apartment on Mineola Drive in Virginia Beach. Ashe entered the pleas in Virginia Beach Circuit Court and is scheduled to be sentenced on December 14, 2026.
The case traces back to a February 2023 shooting that first drew police to the 1000 block of Mineola Drive after officers received a call from a neighbor who reported that Ashe had “accidentally shot her partner,” according to WAVY.com. Police have identified McCoy as the 26-year-old woman who was fatally shot in that apartment, per wtkr.com.
Court documents described Ashe and McCoy as a couple who were living together at the time of the shooting. Those same documents say Ashe shot McCoy in the back of the head while McCoy was lying in her lap, with the firearm discharging during what Ashe described to police as a cleaning session — she told officers she thought she had already removed all the bullets.
Officers Arrived to Find Ashe Performing CPR
When police arrived at the scene, they found Ashe performing CPR on McCoy, the report notes. That detail, along with the account of the shooting itself, emerged as investigators pieced together what happened inside the apartment in the aftermath of the neighbor's 911 call.
The case has carried different charging descriptions at different points. Earlier reporting from wtkr.com said Ashe was initially arrested and charged with involuntary manslaughter, while a separate early account from the station's report said she was arrested and charged with unlawful shooting in an occupied dwelling. The evidence does not clarify how those initial charges were ultimately resolved before Ashe entered her guilty pleas to second-degree murder and unlawful discharge of a firearm in a building.
What Virginia Law Says About the Charges
Under Virginia law, murder other than aggravated murder — including second-degree murder — is punishable by confinement in a state correctional facility for not less than five nor more than 40 years, according to the Code of Virginia. Separately, the state code addresses maliciously discharging a firearm within an occupied building in a manner that may endanger life, classifying that offense as a Class 4 felony.
The evidence does not establish what sentence Ashe will ultimately receive; it only confirms that her sentencing hearing is set for December 14, 2026, in Virginia Beach Circuit Court. No further details about the plea hearing itself, including when exactly it took place, were available in the reporting.
