NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — Former Norfolk Commonwealth’s Attorney Greg Underwood has passed away after a battle with cancer.
Norfolk’s current Commonwealth’s Attorney Ramin Fatehi confirmed the 68-year-old passed away on Saturday, Feb. 10 in a Facebook post.
It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of former Norfolk Commonwealth’s Attorney Greg Underwood from complications of cancer on the evening of Feb. 10. He was 68 years old.
Mr. Underwood preceded Ramin Fatehi as Commonwealth’s Attorney and paved the way for progressive prosecution in the City of Norfolk.
Before his career in law, Mr. Underwood enlisted in the Air Force after graduating high school and served as an aircraft electrician. He went on to earn his bachelor’s degree at Fayetteville State University and return to the Air Force as an officer and Deputy Missile Combat Crew Commander.
Mr. Underwood earned his law degree at UNC Chapel Hill and began his legal career with the Virginia Legal Aid Society in Farmville, eventually becoming a prosecutor in Norfolk in 1990, working in private practice as a defense attorney, returning to prosecution in Virginia Beach, and making his way back to our Norfolk office in the early 2000s. In 2009, the citizens of Norfolk elected him Commonwealth’s Attorney, making him the first Black man to serve in the position.
Among the legacies from Mr. Underwood’s tenure are the office’s policy to decline to prosecute simple marijuana possession cases, after an analysis showed that a disparate number of Black people were being arrested in Norfolk for the offense; the office’s policy to not ask for cash bail, which effectively criminalizes poverty; and the establishment of the first and only Family Justice Center in Virginia.
He will be dearly missed by many in our community and beyond. As he always liked to say, #KeepItMoving.
Ramin Fatehi, Norfolk Commonwealth’s Attorney
Continue to check WAVY.com for updates.
