Skip to content
  • X

Subscribe

Magazine | Newsletters
  • Food & Drink
  • News
  • Culture
  • Style
  • Home
  • Family
  • Wellness
  • Things to Do
  • Travel
  • Best of NoVA
  • Best Restaurants
  • Top High Schools
  • Best Summer Camps Poll
  • In This Issue
  • Home
    • News
  • Fairfax County Police Seek Help Solving 24-Year-Old Cold Case
Police lights or sirens
  • News

Fairfax County Police Seek Help Solving 24-Year-Old Cold Case

Surinder “Paul” Sharma, 43, was killed in 2000, and investigators still don’t know what happened.

By Maggie Roth January 6, 2025 at 11:06 am

The Fairfax County Police Department is seeking information on a murder case that has gone unsolved since April 2000, according to a news release.  

On April 22, 2000, Surinder “Paul” Sharma, 43, of Hybla Valley was found dead on the floor of the Super 7 convenience store he owned in the 8700 block of Richmond Highway in Woodlawn.  

Surinder Paul Sharma
Courtesy Fairfax County Police Department

An autopsy found that Sharma had been stabbed repeatedly in the upper body. Though investigators searched for evidence, they were unable to identify a suspect.  

“Paul Sharma came to America from New Delhi, India, seeking a better life for his family, and he worked very hard to support his wife and two young children,” said detective Melissa Wallace in a video posted to FCPD’s YouTube channel. “For almost 25 years, we have searched for answers, and we still need the community’s help.” 

Because valuable items were still present in the convenience store after the crime, police say that the primary motive in the crime may not have been robbery.  

Super 7 from Fairfax County cold case
Sharma’s Super 7 convenience store (Courtesy Fairfax County Police Department)

“This fight is not just for my father, it’s for every family that has endured this kind of pain. It’s for truth, for accountability, for justice that refuses to be forgotten,” said Anita Sharma, Paul’s daughter. “Together we can prove that no life is too small to matter, no loss too old to pursue, and no voice too quiet to be heard.”  

Anyone with additional information regarding this case can call FCPD’s Major Crimes Bureau at 703-246-7800, option 2. Tips can also be submitted anonymously through Crime Solvers by phone at 866-411-8477 and online. Anonymous tipsters are eligible for cash rewards.

Feature image, stock.adobe.com

For more stories like this, subscribe to Northern Virginia Magazine’s News newsletter. 

Maggie Roth

Maggie Roth

Associate Editor

Maggie Roth is the associate editor for Northern Virginia Magazine, where she covers news and culture in the NoVA area. Originally from New Jersey, she is a graduate of George Mason University and joined the magazine in 2021 as an editorial intern.

  • Email
  • LinkedIn

Trending in NoVA

Here’s Your 2026 Voting Guide for Virginia’s August 4 Primaries

The 16 Best August Events in Northern Virginia and Washington, DC

One Loudoun’s Container Store Set to Close

The 16 Best Weekend Events in Northern Virginia and DC July 31 to August 2

The 2027 Best Summer Camps Survey Is Now Open

things to do newsletter

Our Top Stories In Your Inbox

Our newsletters delivered weekly.

Subscribe

Feeds

RSS Feed Follow in Feedly

You May Also Like

rendering of the new Virginia Barn at Wolf Trap

NoVA Daily: 4 Data Centers Planned for GWU Ashburn Campus, Wolf Trap Adds a New Barn

George Washington University Virginia Science & Technology Campus

Amazon Plans 4 Data Centers on George Washington University’s Loudoun Campus

a rendering of a race car driving on the street in front on the DC Capital building

What to Know About the Freedom 250 Grand Prix in DC

  • X

Company

  • About Us
  • Advertising
  • Writer’s Guidelines
  • Internships
  • Terms of Use

Magazine

  • Magazine
  • Subscription
  • Newsletter
  • Back Issues

Talk to Us

  • Contact Us
  • Submit an Event
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram

Shopping

  • Subscription
  • Back Issues
  • Plaques
  • Realtor Client Gift Subscriptions

On Newsstands Now

great happy hours, august 2026 cover

Copyright © 2026 Northern Virginia Magazine

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Hey AI.