R. Tyler Bezilla grew up in central Pennsylvania, where he graduated from Mercersburg Academy. He received a bachelor's degree in History from the Pennsylvania State University. He then attended the George Mason School of Law, where he earned his law degree. During his time in law school, he was a member of the moot court and trial advocacy teams and was one of the only students in the country to advance to the national rounds in both organizations. He took top 16 in the country in the New York Bar Association National Moot Court Competition. In trial advocacy, he was the runner up in the American Association for Justice Trial Advocacy Competition, placing him above 200 other schools that competed.
Upon graduating from law school, he began working for the Fauquier County Commonwealth Attorney's Office as an Assistant Commonwealth. He split his time evenly between Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court, General District Court, and Circuit Court. He had, on average, one jury trial every month. The first trials were reckless driving and traffic offenses. By the end of his first year in practice, he had tried a burglary case resulting in a 98-year sentence by the jury. Before leaving the office, he became the main prosecutor for traffic-related fatalities. His final case in Fauquier County created new law after a favorable decision by the Virginia Supreme Court upheld his verdict.
While in Fauquier, Mr. Bezilla was an active member of the bar, holding positions from Secretary to President. He volunteered with local elementary students to give tours of the court and lessons about government. He trained officers on Driving Under the Influence law and gave appellate updates, to keep officers informed of the changes in law that occurred each year. He also volunteered as a coach for the George Mason School of Law's trial advocacy program and taught law students the nuances of jury work. During his time as a coach, he took teams as far as San Francisco and Puerto Rico to compete in national competitions.
He then joined the Fairfax Commonwealth Attorney's Office and became a Senior Assistant Commonwealth Attorney. Specifically, he was in charge of the Circuit Court and major crimes division, where he managed attorneys who prosecuted violent felony cases such as robbery, malicious wounding, and murder. He also trained with and served as the point of contact for the Fairfax County Crash Reconstruction Team. Using his experience, he prosecuted dozens of traffic-related fatality cases.
In addition to his supervisory role, Mr. Bezilla continued to try cases to juries. He tried multiple murder cases resulting in convictions, including complex double murder cases, as well as rapes, malicious wounding, and violent offenses. He appealed multiple bond decisions, resulting in written opinions by the Virginia Court of Appeals. Many of his cases were newsworthy, and Mr. Bezilla has appeared on nationally televised programs such as 48 Hours after winning convictions.
During his tenure at the Fairfax Commonwealth Attorney's office, Mr. Bezilla was also invited to lecture at the Virginia Homicide Investigators Association. He trained new Commonwealth Attorneys how to prosecute cases and prepare jury trials and worked closely with law enforcement in the process of evidence collection and preparation for trial. Over his 7 years of experience working for the Commonwealth in Northern Virginia, he successfully completed thousands of bench trials and over 60 jury trials.
In addition to his legal career, Mr. Bezilla is happily married to his wife Charlee. Together they own two Basset Hounds and live in Ashburn, VA. He is a member of the Basset Rescue of Old Dominion.
If you need legal representation, Mr. Bezilla has the experience and skills to zealously advocate for your rights. Please contact him today for a free consultation.