By Kouthar Sambo
The Fairfax County Police Department (FCPD) has confirmed the arrest of 32-year-old Alexander Towne following a domestic-related homicide at a residence in Chantilly, Virginia, USA.
Towne was taken into custody on the evening of Saturday, 24 May 2025, after allegedly assaulting and killing his wife, South African national Kim-lee White, also 32. A police official stated that Towne himself called law enforcement to report the incident.
“Before 19h00 that night, our officers responded to a domestic call for service, in which the husband had reported an incident between him and his wife. When officers arrived on the scene, they located the husband and his wife, who was declared deceased on the scene. The suspect has been taken into custody,” said Captain Jesse Katzman, commander of public affairs for FCPD.
“At the time, there was a juvenile child in the home who has been placed with family members, and he too will receive whatever services are needed,” Katzman added.
Kim-lee White, who also attended Trafalgar High School and later Bloubergrant High School in Cape Town, had been living abroad for several years, first in Bahrain and most recently in the U.S., had no immediate family nearby during what her loved ones now describe as a deeply troubled and isolated life overseas. She was living in Virginia with her husband and their two-year-old son at the time of her death.
Speaking to VOC News, Kim-lee’s brother, Jason White, recounted the devastating moment he learned of her passing.
“I cannot begin to explain the overwhelming mixed emotions I felt, and I was so angry that I couldn’t even cry. I cannot believe she’s gone, and if she didn’t get onto that plane to go to the U.S., all of this could have been prevented,” he said.
Despite the distance, White shared that their bond remained strong.
“We were very close, and we had a strong relationship regardless of her being continents apart. We liked the same things, and we supported each other in every aspect. My fondest memories of her are watching her stand up for me when I was being bullied or insulted over my disability, and that made me realise that she was always going to have my back,” he recalled.
He described his sister as bold, determined, and full of life.
“What I admired most about her is that she was charismatic and easy to get along with—I silently wish I had those easygoing traits. She was hardworking and ambitious and would try her hand at different things to generate an income, which made her successful,” shared White.
Kim-lee’s journey as an expat was not without hardship. Having left South Africa years ago, she built her life abroad without the comfort and safety of a nearby support system.
“My mother begged her to come back home many times—it is only when you are in close proximity to your friends and family that you can feel the security and comfort of being safe,” added White.
The bereaved brother also detailed troubling signs of abuse that had surfaced long before the couple’s marriage. Towne, who was affiliated with the U.S. military, reportedly displayed violent behavior that deeply alarmed the family.
“My mother would be on the phone with her for hours, concerned about her safety, and she would be crying on the phone to my mother, locked in her room while my mother could hear him banging on her door.”
He firmly dismissed any notion that Towne’s military background could excuse his actions.
“I don’t think you can attribute Towne’s actions to PTSD since he was in the military—he didn’t witness anything traumatic while being part of the military—I think violence and aggression is his true nature,” claimed White.
With both parents are now absent, the couple’s three-year-old son has been placed with extended family. However, a potential custody battle between the two families may lie ahead.
“An uphill custody battle may await between the two families as my nephew is orphaned without a mother and father—the child is in the care of his family members. Our main priority is having my sister’s deceased body back in South Africa so we can have closure to this horrible nightmare,” concluded White.
*This is still a developing story
Photo: Supplied
