Bouaichi’s
release from jail and the slaying of Dominguez represent a tragic side effect
of the pandemic. As the coronavirus erupted in America, civil liberties
advocates called for the release of large numbers of prisoners from jails and
prisons in order to keep them from being infected and possibly dying in
necessarily confined spaces.
Using
Covid-19 as an excuse to free prisoners from jails, the ACLU now had blood on
their hands for causing the death of a woman and many others.
Released prisoner accused of raping, killing Virginia woman
has died
Ibrahim
Bouaichi shot himself as police closed in on him Wednesday
By
Tom Jackman
August
9, 2020 at 8:33 a.m. GMT+8
A
man accused of murdering an Alexandria woman, who had accused him of sexually
assaulting her last fall, died Saturday from a self-inflicted gunshot wound
that occurred as police tried to arrest him again on Wednesday. The man’s
family issued a statement Saturday night saying they were grieving the loss of both
lives.
Ibrahim
E. Bouaichi, 33, had reportedly been in a relationship with Karla E. Dominguez,
31, before an allegedly violent incident in Dominguez’s Alexandria apartment on
Oct. 10. Dominguez told police that Bouaichi broke into her apartment and
sexually assaulted her. Bouaichi was charged with six felony counts, turned
himself in to the Alexandria jail on Oct. 21, and was ordered held without
bond.
Bouaichi
maintained his innocence, and his lawyers pressed for a quick trial, but then the coronavirus pandemic struck and all trials were
postponed. Bouaichi’s lawyers said visitation had been curtailed in the
Alexandria jail, that they needed to meet with him before trial and that jails
were potential coronavirus hot spots, although Alexandria’s jail had not had a
case. They asked Alexandria Circuit Court Judge Nolan Dawkins to allow Bouaichi
to post bond.
Released from jail at height of pandemic, Virginia
rape suspect allegedly killed his accuser
On
April 9, Dawkins agreed to set a secured bond for Bouaichi of $25,000, over
Alexandria prosecutors’ objection. The judge ordered Bouaichi to stay in his
Greenbelt home and not leave except to meet with his lawyers or pretrial
services, and not to have any contact with Dominguez. The judge — who retired
in June after 26 years and did not respond to a request for comment — did not
order electronic monitoring for Bouaichi.
In early May, Greenbelt police found Bouaichi behind the wheel of his
car at a Wendy’s restaurant drive-through, and they allege that he rammed one
of their cruisers with his car. He was charged with multiple assault counts,
drunken driving and multiple traffic charges, but was released on bond after
one night in the Prince George’s County jail.
The
Greenbelt incident would have triggered a motion from Alexandria prosecutors to
revoke Bouaichi’s bond, Alexandria Commonwealth’s Attorney Bryan L. Porter
said. But no one notified Alexandria that Bouaichi had been arrested again.
On
July 29, Dominguez was found shot to death outside her apartment on South
Greenmount Drive, in the Town Square at Mark Center Apartments. Two days later,
Alexandria police obtained a murder warrant for Bouaichi.
But
when they went to arrest him, he was gone. After several days of fruitless
searching, the police issued a news release Tuesday saying Bouaichi had been
charged in Dominguez’s killing, and asking for the public’s help in locating
him.
The next morning, the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force and Alexandria
officers spotted Bouaichi’s car in Prince George’s County. As they moved in to
arrest him, he shot himself, Alexandria police said.
He
died Saturday at a local hospital, police said in a news release.
Bouaichi’s
family released a statement Saturday evening: “Our
brother and son Ibrahim died today, having taken his own life. We are
incredibly saddened by Karla’s death and wish this tragedy had never happened.
... As we lay our son to rest, we ask for peace for everyone involved as we
grieve our losses.”
INTERNET SOURCE: https://www.washingtonpost.com/crime-law/2020/08/08/released-prisoner-accused-raping-killing-virginia-woman-has-died/
Virginia rape suspect released over coronavirus concerns
kills accuser: Police
By
Jessica Chasmar - The
Washington Times
Monday, August 10, 2020
A
Virginia rape suspect who was released from jail due to coronavirus concerns
killed his accuser before fatally shooting himself, police said Saturday.
Ibrahm
Elkahlil Bouaichi, 33, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head
following a car chase with police Wednesday in Prince George’s County,
Maryland, police said in a statement. Bouaichi was accused of fatally shooting
31-year-old Karla
Elizabeth Dominguez Gonzalez, the woman who accused him of sexual assault
last year, outside her apartment in Arlington, Virginia, on July 29, ABC 7 reported.
Gonzalez
testified against Bouaichi in Alexandria District Court in December. He was
charged with six felonies, including rape, and jailed without bond. When the
pandemic hit in March, Bouaichi’s lawyers argued he should be freed while
awaiting trial out of safety concerns.
Bouaichi
was released from jail on $25,000 bond on April 9. Alexandria Circuit Court
Judge Nolan Dawkins, who retired in June, ordered Bouaichi to stay in his
Greenbelt home except when meeting with his lawyers or during pretrial
services, but he did not order electronic monitoring for the suspect, The
Washington Post reported.
Gonzalez
was notified of his release the same day, according to the Alexandria Sheriff’s
office.
Her death marked the first homicide in
Arlington this year. A GoFundMe page
set up for her family surpassed $10,000 Monday.
INTERNET SOURCE: https://m.washingtontimes.com/news/2020/aug/10/ibrahim-bouaichi-virginia-rape-suspect-released-ov/
OTHER
LINKS:
Released
from jail at height of pandemic, Alexandria rape suspect allegedly killed his
accuser. Ibrahim Bouaichi then shot himself as police closed in Wednesday,
leaving him in critical condition
https://www.facebook.com/VictimsFamiliesForTheDeathPenalty/posts/3108425509279394
August 7, 2020 - https://www.facebook.com/VictimsFamiliesForTheDeathPenalty/posts/3007648672690412
https://www.washingtonpost.com/crime-law/2020/08/06/released-jail-height-pandemic-alexandria-rape-suspect-allegedly-killed-his-accuser/
