ALEXANDRIA, Va. — A rape suspect who was released from jail in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, Ibrahim E. Bouaichi, went on to kill the woman who had accused him, police in Virginia say.
On Wednesday, July 29, officers found a woman shot to death on S. Greenmount Drive. It was Alexandria's first homicide of the year. The victim was later identified as Karla Elizabeth Dominguez Gonzalez.
Gonzalez had testified against Bouaichi in Alexandria District Court in December. He was indicted on rape charges and jailed without bond.
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When the pandemic hit, Bouaichi’s lawyers argued that he should be freed while awaiting trial because the virus endangered both inmates and their attorneys.
Circuit Court Judge Nolan Dawkins released Bouaichi on $25,000 bond, ordering him not to leave his Maryland home unless meeting with his lawyers or court officials, The Washington Post reports. He was freed on April 9. Gonzalez was notified the same day, according to the Alexandria Sheriff's office.
On Wednesday, August 5, one week after Gonzalez was killed, Alexandria police officers with the FBI's regional Violent Crimes Task Force spotted Bouaichi in Prince George's County, Maryland.
When authorities chased him, Bouaichi crashed the car he was driving. He was found inside with a self-inflicted gunshot wound and was taken to a hospital for medical treatment.
