News

The driver who struck and killed a 17-year-old girl while street racing in Burke in 2023 will spend the next three years behind bars.

Joel Angel Zelaya, 45, was sentenced yesterday (Thursday) after previously pleading guilty to involuntary manslaughter. He received a sentence of 10 years, seven of which were suspended, Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano’s office announced.


News

The man accused of fatally stabbing a woman at a Hybla Valley bus stop last month had been flagged by local law enforcement as a repeat offender with a record of knife-related incidents, emails show.

Three months before Abdul Jalloh was charged with the Feb. 23 murder of Stephanie Minter, a Fairfax County Police Department commander expressed concern to prosecutors that Jalloh would strike again, according to documents provided to FFXnow by the conservative nonprofit Virginians for Safe Communities.


News

A Fairfax County Circuit Court judge has accepted an Arlington man’s plea agreement of not guilty by reason of insanity in the murder of nonprofit CEO Gret Glyer.

The decision finalized yesterday (Thursday) resulted in the formal acquittal of Joshua Danehower, who had been charged with one count each of second-degree murder and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony.


Countywide

Nine progressive prosecutors around the country, including Fairfax County’s Steve Descano, have joined forces in hopes of holding federal agents accountable for violating state laws.

The Project to Fight Against Federal Overreach (FAFO) coalition, which launched yesterday (Wednesday), aims to “rein in unlawful conduct” amid a growing presence of federal immigration and law enforcement in communities across the country.


News

A wrongful death lawsuit against the former Fairfax County police officer who fatally shot Timothy Johnson outside Tysons Corner Center in February 2023 appears to be headed toward a settlement.

Fairfax County has agreed to pay Johnson’s mother, Melissa Johnson, $1.1 million to settle her claims against former Fairfax County Police Department Sgt. Wesley Shifflett, according to court documents.


News

The man accused of shooting and killing a nonprofit CEO as he slept in his Fairfax City home will likely not face trial due to mental health reasons.

Joshua Danehower, now 36, is instead expected to be committed indefinitely to a state behavioral health facility under an apparent decision between his attorney and prosecutors that will allow him to plead not guilty for reasons of insanity.


News

Police have officially filed charges against a driver who was allegedly speeding when he crashed into a minivan on the Capital Beltway (I-495) on Christmas, killing two of its occupants.

Devin Juliana, a 48-year-old from Steubenville, Ohio, has been charged with reckless driving, the Virginia State Police announced today (Thursday). More charges may be coming, pending their approval by Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano’s office.


News

The federal government is now leveling its own criminal charge against the man accused of a recent murder in Reston.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia has charged 23-year-old Marvin Fernando Morales Ortez with possessing a firearm as someone who is “illegally” present in the U.S.


News

A Vienna man was convicted today (Monday) of murdering his girlfriend while camping in Burke Lake Park in 2023.

Rami El-Sayed, 36, was convicted on one count each of first-degree murder and concealment of a dead body, the Fairfax County Commonwealth Attorney’s Office announced.


Countywide

As the federal government slashes public safety funding, including grants supporting programs for crime victims, Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano joined other top prosecutors in Alexandria this week to hear stories from survivors.

For more than an hour on Wednesday (Nov. 19), Descano, Arlington Commonwealth’s Attorney Parisa Deghani-Tafti and Norfolk CA Ramin Fatehi listened to crime survivors at the National Organization of Victim Advocacy (510 King Street) headquarters, next door to the Alexandria Courthouse.


View More Stories