homicide | ALXnow

BREAKING: 17-year-old found guilty of murder at Bradlee Shopping Center

Published June 6, 2023 at 12:50PM | Updated June 7, 2023 at 2:28PM

The Franklin P. Backus Courthouse at 520 King Street in Alexandria (staff photo by James Cullum)

A 17-year-old former Alexandria City High School student was found guilty Tuesday for last year’s fatal stabbing of 18-year-old Luis Mejia Hernandez in the parking lot of the Bradlee Shopping Center.

Judge James C. Clark found the teen guilty of second-degree murder and murder by mob and said that the case is a tragedy for all involved. The defendant sat silently as Clark rendered his decision at the conclusion of the two-day bench trial. He faces between five-to-40 years in prison for the second-degree murder charge and five-to-40 years for the murder by mob, or lynching, charge.

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Bradlee Shopping Center stabbing suspect implicated by videos on his phone

By James Cullum

Published June 6, 2023 at 10:45AM | Updated June 6, 2023 at 3:09PM

Police at the Bradlee Shopping Center where 18-year-old Luis Mejia Hernandez was fatally stabbed on May 24, 2022. (staff photo by James Cullum)

The 17-year-old male suspect facing murder charges in last year’s fatal stabbing of 18-year-old Luis Mejia Hernandez was implicated by damning evidence police found on his phone, according to evidence presented Monday.

Monday’s bench trial will continue into today for the defense to present their case, and a speedy verdict on second degree murder and murder by mob charges is expected from Judge James C. Clark. The suspect faces between five-to-40 years in prison for the second degree murder charge and five-to-40 years for the murder by mob, or lynching, charge.

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JUST IN: Arrest made for 2022 West End murder

By James Cullum

Published May 9, 2023 at 1:05PM | Updated May 9, 2023 at 2:44PM

Dontae Drumgold has been charged with the 2022 murder of a man in the West End (via Alexandria Sheriff's Office)

(Updated 2:45 p.m.) A 28-year-old Prince William County man was arrested for the murder of a 25-year-old more than a year ago, the Alexandria Police Department announced today.

Dontae LaShawn Drumgold is being held without bond in connection with the death of Elijah Williams in March 2022.

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Police: Man murdered in Landmark shooting Friday night

By James Cullum

Published March 4, 2023 at 2:55PM | Updated March 4, 2023 at 3:22PM

A man was shot to death in the 200 block of S. Reynolds Street on Friday, March 3, 2023 (via Google Maps)

No arrests have been made since a man was fatally shot in the Landmark area on Friday night.

The Alexandria Police Department was dispatched to the 200 block of S. Reynolds Street at around 11:30 p.m. for reports of a man shot in the upper body. Multiple callers reported to police that a black SUV fled the area after the incident.

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Alexandria man pleads guilty to murdering his brother last summer

By James Cullum

Published February 9, 2023 at 3:30PM

Enoc Cruz Villafuerte, charged with the murder of his brother Jonathan Cruz Villafuerte (photo via Alexandria Sheriff's Office)

A 23-year-old West End man pleaded guilty today to a two-count murder indictment alleging that he fatally shot his brother with a rifle.

Enoc Cruz Villafuerte pleaded guilty to one count of murder in the second degree and another count of shooting in the commission of murder in connection to the death of his 24-year-old brother Jonathan Cruz Villafuerte.

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Hung jury for California man accused of 2020 West End murder

By James Cullum

Published December 21, 2022 at 10:00AM | Updated December 22, 2022 at 10:46AM

Alexandria Police lights (staff photo by James Cullum)

After a lengthy trial, a hung jury couldn’t reach a verdict against a 24-year-old California man accused of murdering a man in the West End in 2020, and the Commonwealth’s Attorney will retry the case in February.

On Thursday (Dec. 15), the jury remained deadlocked on whether Ahmed Mohammed Shareef should be charged with murder or manslaughter in the Nov. 2020 shooting death of 23-year old Yousef Omar. The jury did, however, find Shareef guilty of racketeering with 20 others for operating a drug trafficking organization between the D.C. Metro area and Los Angeles, California.

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Court orders no social media except LinkedIn for man acquitted by insanity for Old Town murder

By James Cullum

Published September 16, 2022 at 10:00AM

The Franklin P. Backus Courthouse in Alexandria (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

A man acquitted by reason of insanity for a brutal stabbing death in Old Town has been ordered to stay off all social media except LinkedIn.

The news came Thursday afternoon, after 38-year-old Pankaj Bhasin was ordered by the Alexandria Circuit Court to stay off the websites after lying about himself and his whereabouts during a period that he was in prison for murder.

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Commonwealth’s Attorney seeks to limit internet for man acquitted by insanity in brutal Old Town murder

By James Cullum

Published September 13, 2022 at 1:00PM | Updated September 13, 2022 at 7:42PM

The Franklin P. Backus Courthouse at 520 King Street in Alexandria (staff photo by James Cullum)

Updated at 3 p.m. The Commonwealth Attorney’s Office is hoping to limit access to the internet for a man acquitted for reason of insanity for a brutal stabbing death in Old Town.

Pankaj Bhasin, now 38, was conditionally released from the Department of Behavioral Health and Development Services in May, nearly four years after killing 65-year-old Brad Jackson. Bhasin said that he thought Jackson — a complete stranger — was a werewolf, and used a box cutter to stab him 53 times. Bhasin was later diagnosed as bipolar by five doctors and was found not guilty by reason of insanity in July 2019. He was conditionally released in on May 27, 2022.

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Burglary suspect charged with July double homicide

By Vernon Miles

Published August 23, 2022 at 1:20PM

Two people were killed in the 200 block of Century Drive on Saturday, July 16 (staff photo by James Cullum)

After being arrested for suspected burglary, Francis Deonte Rose, 27, has officially been charged in connection with last month’s double homicide at a West End apartment complex.

Rose is charged with the murders of Adrian Dejesus Rivera Guzman and Juan Carlos Anaya Hernandez on Saturday, July 16, in the Assembly Alexandria apartment complex on the 100 block of Century Drive.

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ALXnow’s top stories this week in Alexandria

By Vernon Miles

Published July 22, 2022 at 3:45PM

Two people were killed in the 200 block of Century Drive on Saturday, July 16, 2022. (staff photo by James Cullum)

The big news in Alexandria this week was a double homicide in the West End and the news later that the suspect had been released from jail in Arlington earlier this year.

Former Mayor Kerry Donley also died of a heart attack last week with funeral services scheduled for this Sunday, July 24.

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Alexandria double murder suspect was released from jail in Arlington earlier this year

By ALXnow.com

Published July 19, 2022 at 3:45PM | Updated July 20, 2022 at 4:42PM

Two people were killed in the 200 block of Century Drive on Saturday, July 16 (staff photo by James Cullum)

(Updated at 4:30 p.m. on 7/20/22) The man arrested after the fatal shooting of two construction workers in Alexandria over the weekend was set to be tried for weapons and drug charges in Arlington earlier this year, but charges were dropped.

The reason: a ruling that police conducted an unconstitutional search prior to a 2020 arrest.