Two men on opposite ends of the age spectrum pleaded guilty yesterday (Monday) to manslaughter for separate fatal shootings, the Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano announced this morning.
Herndon resident Ismael Cruz Delcid, now 20, was arrested in March 2024 and charged with second-degree murder after shooting 14-year-old Michai Malave outside the Sonesta Extended Stay Suites in the McNair area south of Herndon.
Around mid-afternoon on March 20, Cruz Delcid, who was 18 at the time, was sitting in his car in the hotel’s parking lot on Coppermine Road when he saw Michai — a Westfield High School student identified by prosecutors only as MM — and another teen acquaintance and gestured for them to walk over.
More from Descano’s office:
As MM approached the vehicle, Cruz Delcid put a loaded firearm in his waistband and exited his vehicle. The three had a conversation, which escalated, and after separating himself from the two teens, Cruz Delcid fired three shots, two of which struck MM in the neck and chest. Cruz Delcid immediately fled into the nearby woods, where he disposed of the firearm and his clothing, before taking the Metro and an Uber to his girlfriend’s residence and smashing his phone to avoid being tracked.
MM was transported to a hospital, where he later died. The other teen was reportedly shot at but didn’t get hit.
The Fairfax County Police Department identified Cruz Delcid as their suspect the following day, and he later turned himself in. In addition to murder, he was charged with two counts of using a firearm in the commission of a felony.
During a trial in June, defense attorney Damond Colbert made the case that the two younger teens initiated the altercation, and Cruz Delcid fired his gun in self-defense, WUSA9 reported. The jury was ultimately unable to reach a unanimous decision, resulting in a mistrial.
A second trial was initially scheduled for yesterday (Oct. 20), but prosecutors requested a status change last Friday (Oct. 17) after reaching a plea agreement, a spokesperson for the commonwealth’s attorney’s office told FFXnow.
As part of the deal, Cruz Delcid pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter in exchange for prosecutors dismissing the murder and firearm charges. The agreement doesn’t address sentencing, which will be determined on Jan. 9, 2026.
Under Virginia law, voluntary manslaughter is classified as a Class 5 felony, which can be punished with a prison sentence of one to 10 years.
“My heart breaks for the victim’s family,” Descano said. “His parents deserved the chance to see him graduate high school and pursue his dreams. He had his whole life ahead of him, and I hope that this conviction allows everyone who knew him to continue healing from this terrible loss.”
Chantilly man pleads guilty to shooting wife
Descano’s office also announced that Douglas Sommer, an 89-year-old retired Navy captain, has pleaded guilty to manslaughter for shooting his wife at their Chantilly home earlier this year.
Officers were called to the 13000 block of Pennypacker Lane shortly after 6 a.m. on Feb. 28 for a report of multiple shots being fired. Upon arriving, police found 87-year-old Marilyn Sommer suffering from gunshot wounds to her upper body and declared her dead at the scene.
Prosecutors say Douglas Sommer shot his wife five times at close range with a .32 caliber FN Herstal 1922 pistol while she was sleeping in a recliner chair in their den, hitting her “multiple times in her head and chest.”
“When Fairfax County first responders arrived, Sommer calmly stated that he killed his wife and showed them where the gun was located on their couch, before he was taken into custody,” Descano’s office said.
The couple’s daughter was visiting from South Carolina to help her parents move into an assisted living facility the following week, a plan that her father opposed, according to court documents. She was in a different room of the house at the time of the shooting and called 911.
Like Cruz Delcid, Douglas Sommer was initially charged with second-degree murder and using a firearm in the commission of a felony. Indicted by a grand jury in July, he was scheduled to face trial yesterday but ultimately entered a plea deal that amended the murder charge down to voluntary manslaughter.
Sommer also pleaded guilty to the firearm charge, which carries a potential sentence of up to five years in prison on top of the 10-year maximum for manslaughter. The sentencing hearing is scheduled for Jan. 9, 2026.
According to court documents, the Sommers had lived at the house on Pennypacker Lane since 1978.
“Marilyn Sommer’s long life ended in her own home, at the hands of her own husband,” Descano said in a statement. “This is a tragic outcome for the whole Sommer family.”
