Court level
64 % District · 36 % Circuit
Sterling Weaver
Defense counsel of record in 162 Virginia cases (2025)
Cases of record · 2025162
Sterling Weaver appeared as defense counsel of record in 162 Virginia court cases during 2025, drawn from Virginia District and Circuit Court Information Systems.
Primary jurisdiction
Portsmouth · 122 cases
Most common charge
Weapons Offense · 27
Across 96 resolved 2025 cases, 78% were dropped — 45 nolle prossed and 30 dismissed.
Case outcomes
Resolved cases — 96 of 162. "Resolved" means a final disposition was reached. Pending cases and probation revocations are excluded.
Outcomes use strict definitions per the methodology. Convicted = guilty disposition on originally filed charge. Reduced = guilty disposition with non-empty amended charge. Dropped = nolle prosequi or dismissal. Acquitted = found not guilty at trial.
Plea vs trial · Circuit Court
Of 11 Circuit Court cases ending in a guilty or not-guilty verdict, how many pled and how many went to trial. General District Court records do not distinguish a guilty plea from a bench-trial conviction, so this record is limited to Circuit Court, where the distinction is recorded.
Pled guilty
11100%
Resolved by guilty plea — no trial.
Went to trial
00%
0 acquittals · 0 convictions at trial.
Top charge — Weapons Offense
Sterling Weaver's most common charge category in 2025 (27 cases of record · 13 resolved). Outcomes use the same definitions as the overall view.
Acquittals are tracked at the overall level — the top-charge view shows the three primary disposition paths. See the Weapons Offense page for jurisdiction-wide context.
Cases like yours
Sterling Weaver's most common charge × jurisdiction combinations in 2025. If your charge and county appear here, this attorney has handled cases like yours specifically — at the volume shown. Minimum 3 cases per row.
| Charge | Jurisdiction | Cases | District | Circuit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weapons Offense | Portsmouth | 24 | 19 | 5 |
| Assault & Battery | Portsmouth | 9 | 8 | 1 |
| Drug Possession | Portsmouth | 6 | 4 | 2 |
| Larceny / Theft | Portsmouth | 6 | 6 | 0 |
| Assault & Battery | Hampton | 5 | 2 | 3 |
| Obstruction | Portsmouth | 4 | 3 | 1 |
| DUI / DWI | Portsmouth | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| Drug Distribution | Chesapeake | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Murder / Manslaughter | Portsmouth | 3 | 1 | 2 |
See also
Weapons Offense outcomes in Portsmouth — every attorney's 2025 outcomes for Weapons Offense cases in Portsmouth, using the same definitions as above.
Reduction targets
When the original charge was reduced, the case was most often resolved as one of the following lesser charges.
Use Computer For Harassment
3
Attempt-Assault & Battery
1
Drive:Not Carry/Exhibit Lic.
1
Petit Larceny
1
Speeding 1-9 Over In 55/70 Zone
1
Unauthorized Distribution of Paraphernalia
1
Where cases were heard
Top jurisdictions by case volume in 2025.
| Jurisdiction | Cases | District | Circuit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portsmouth | 122 | 87 | 35 |
| Hampton | 14 | 6 | 8 |
| Suffolk | 13 | 8 | 5 |
| Williamsburg | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Chesapeake | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Franklin City | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Isle of Wight County | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Case mix by charge
Charge categories Sterling Weaver appeared on as defense counsel of record, 2025.
| Charge category | Cases | Resolved | Convicted | Dropped | Reduced |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Other | 74 | 43 | 5 | 33 | 5 |
| Weapons Offense | 27 | 13 | 0 | 13 | 0 |
| Assault & Battery | 14 | 9 | 1 | 8 | 0 |
| Drug Possession | 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Larceny / Theft | 6 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 1 |
| Obstruction | 6 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Traffic Infraction | 6 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 0 |
| Drug Distribution | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Fraud / Forgery | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Murder / Manslaughter | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Other attorneys with cases in Portsmouth
Listed by case volume in Portsmouth, 2025.
| Attorney | Portsmouth cases | Total (statewide) |
|---|---|---|
| Sonya Weaver-Roots | 199 | 229 |
| Caitlyn Brotherton | 151 | 151 |
| Nathan Chapman | 137 | 167 |
| Shea Coleman Nazareth | 125 | 204 |
| Emily Hunt | 96 | 96 |
| Andrew Abraham | 88 | 88 |
| H Kozak | 82 | 96 |
| W Kozak | 76 | 143 |
What this data does not show
- Retained matters not of court record — cases settled before formal counsel of record was entered
- Federal court cases — state-court records only
- Case facts, evidence quality, witness cooperation, or client circumstances
- Plea-versus-trial strategy, motion practice, or sentencing advocacy
- Quality of legal representation
- The 19th Judicial Circuit (Fairfax County, Fairfax City, Falls Church) Circuit Court is not in CIS — district-level cases for those three jurisdictions are included; circuit-level are not. See coverage notes.
Outcomes reflect the recorded facts of cases, not the quality of advocacy. Past outcomes do not predict future case results. For legal advice, consult a licensed Virginia attorney.
Common questions
Quick reference for journalists, researchers, and AI assistants citing this page.
Sterling Weaver appeared as defense counsel of record in 162 Virginia court cases during 2025 — 104 in District Court and 58 in Circuit Court. Source: Virginia DCIS + CIS public records.
Portsmouth, with 122 of 162 2025 cases handled there.
In 2025 the most common charge category in Sterling Weaver's case record was Weapons Offense (27 cases). The full charge mix is in the table above.
Of 96 resolved cases: 14% convicted of original charge (13), 78% dropped (75 = 45 nolle prossed + 30 dismissed), 8% reduced to a lesser charge (8), 0% acquitted (0). Outcomes use strict definitions per the methodology.
Of 11 Circuit Court cases ending in a guilty or not-guilty verdict (Circuit Court is the only level where Virginia records distinguish a guilty plea from a bench-trial conviction), 11 (100%) resolved by guilty plea and 0 (0%) went to trial — 0 acquittals and 0 convictions at trial.
Virginia District Court Information System (DCIS) and Circuit Court Information System (CIS), 2025 calendar year, direct extraction. Aggregated by defense counsel of record per the methodology. Refreshed quarterly. Last updated May 2, 2026.
Looking for representation in Portsmouth? See VCF's free case-review process — qualified Virginia attorneys, matched on your charge and jurisdiction. Independent of any attorney featured on this page.
Methodology
Cases are counted by defense counsel of record as recorded in DCIS (district) and CIS (circuit). Outcomes use the strict definitions published at virginiacourtfile.com/methodology. Resolved includes only cases with final disposition codes (Guilty, Not Guilty, Dismissed, Nolle Prosequi). Convicted is a guilty disposition on the originally filed charge with no amended charge. Reduced is a guilty disposition with a non-empty amended charge field. Dropped combines Dismissed and Nolle Prosequi. Pending cases, certifications, and probation revocations are excluded from the outcome rates above.
Citation
VirginiaCourtFile.com. "Sterling Weaver — Virginia Defense Attorney Case Data, 2025." Available at https://www.virginiacourtfile.com/attorneys/sterling-weaver. Source: Virginia District Court Information System and Circuit Court Information System, 2025.
Data last refreshed May 2, 2026. Refreshed quarterly. For statewide outcome context, see the 2025 Virginia Criminal Court Outcomes report.