Inset (left): Amanda Christina Hawkins (Southwest Virginia Regional Jail Authority). Inset (right): James Matthew Hawkins (Castlewood Funeral Home). Background: The entrance ramp leading up to the Abingdon Regional Jail in Abingdon, Va. (Google Maps).
A Virginia woman allegedly poisoned her husband, and months after the man's death, she is now under arrest.
Amanda Christina Hawkins, 45, was charged with first-degree murder after police said she was captured on audio and video admitting that she poisoned her late husband, 49-year-old James Matthew Hawkins. According to court documents obtained by local NBC affiliate WCYB, an informant contacted authorities after Amanda Hawkins allegedly admitted to killing James Hawkins, who died on Nov. 21, 2025.
As part of their investigation, police recorded Amanda Hawkins on audio and video as she allegedly stated that she poisoned her husband with horse tranquilizer and insulin days before his death.
Police said they interviewed a physician who was familiar with Hawkins' case, who stated that James Hawkins was experiencing symptoms of an insulin overdose before he died at a hospice facility in Tennessee.
Months after James Hawkins' death, the informant told police that they heard Amanda Hawkins admit to giving her husband horse tranquilizer and insulin. She later said she had his body cremated.
When police interviewed Amanda Hawkins on June 15, she allegedly confessed to poisoning her husband. She told police she obtained the substances days before he died.
Amanda Hawkins was charged with first-degree murder in connection with the death of her husband. According to a press release from the Russell County Sheriff's Office, she was also charged with two counts of distribution of Schedule II controlled substances and money laundering. She is being held at the Abingdon Regional Jail without bond.
Her next court date is scheduled for Aug. 19.
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