On the morning of October 25, 2022, officers and fire rescue personnel in Albemarle County responded to a domestic disturbance at a home on Stony Point Road in Charlottesville. They found 53-year-old Matthew Sean Farrell dead from a gunshot wound, and explosive materials at the scene that were later determined not to pose a public threat. Farrell had been shot in the back of the head while in bed.

Farrell was a longtime figure in the Charlottesville arts community. After a brief period in the military and college, he moved to the area in 1990, founded Hypocrite Press in 1991 to publish local authors, and worked as a publisher and writer. His girlfriend, 38-year-old Shawna Marie Natalie Murphy, who lived with him, was arrested at the scene and charged with second-degree murder and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. Questions about her competency to stand trial have been raised during the legal process.

Anyone who knew Matthew, his work with Hypocrite Press, or who has information about that October morning is asked to share what they know.