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Schuyler Lake, of Leesburg, was sentenced by Judge James P. Fisher to 40 years in prison with 22 years and 11 months suspended for the killing of his father, Dean Lake, 57, according to the Loudoun County Commonwealth's Attorney.
The suspended sentence is conditioned upon the satisfactory completion of forty years of good behavior, compliance with Lake’s mental health treatment, and five years of supervised probation upon his release from incarceration.
Schuyler Lake was charged with second-degree murder for strangling his father, whose body was found on Saturday, April 30, 2022 around 7:30 a.m. at a home on South King Street.
Officers conducted a search of the home and found Schuyler Lake’s identification card, a cell phone on a bathroom sink, and a pair of his blood-stained shoes in the hallway. The blood on the shoes belonged to Dean Lake, police said.
Officers also found photographs of the victim’s body on the defendant’s cell phone which had clearly been taken after the murder. Lake was taken into custody April 30, 2022.
During the sentencing hearing, Senior Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Anna Hammond argued for an active period of incarceration at the high end of the sentencing guidelines. In pronouncing the sentence, which was in the midpoint of the guidelines, Judge Fisher opined that the case fell at the intersection of "psychiatry and law," the Commonwealth's Attorney's office said.
According to his obituary in the Loudoun Times, Dean Lake graduated from Radford University with a degree in political science and history, and enjoyed spending time outdoors — especially in the winter. While he started a Washington DC paralegal firm out of college, he ultimately transitioned to the field that had his heart: Brewing.
Lake became a brewer for Old Dominion Brewery, simultaneously attending the Siebel Institute of Technology in Chicago, his tribute in the Loudoun Times says.
An active member of the Virginia and Loudoun County Brewer’s Associations, Dean went on to serve as master brewer for various local establishments including Rock Bottom in Arlington and Sweetwater Tavern in Sterling, before opening two pubs of his own: Thoroughbred's and Dog Money.
“Our thoughts are with the family of Dean and Schuyler Lake during this time of incredible sadness, and we hope that today’s sentence brings the family a small amount of peace,” Commonwealth’s Attorney Bob Anderson said following the sentencing.
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