This page is a database of press releases issued by the Commonwealth's Attorney's office since Commonwealth's Attorney Descano took office in 2020. This repository was released retroactively, so there may be instances of missing press releases. If you find any inconsistencies, please contact our office.
CA Descano announced that Kyjuan Trott-McLean, 43, was indicted by a grand jury for murder for the shooting of Brandon Wims, 31, in October 2022.
CA Descano announced that DC rapper Noah Settles, 23, has been sentenced by a judge to 3 years in prison for firing a gun in Tysons Corner Center Mall last summer. Settles also received 10 years of probation and is not allowed to return to the mall.
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CA Descano announced that Yohannes Nessibu, 29, was sentenced to life in prison for the 2016 killings of Kedest Simeneh and Henok Yohannes.
CA Descano released a dashboard on Red Flag Orders, showing over 100 instances in the last 9 months where firearms have been temporarily removed from an individual.
CA Descano announced that a judge sentenced Andrew Gordiyenko, 21, to five years for shooting Matthew Chadwick with a ghost gun in 2021.
CA Descano released additional data for the OCA's bond data dashboard, showing that in the first quarter of 2023, prosecutors recommended most individuals accused of nonviolent offenses be released pretrial, continuing the trend we saw in Q4 of 2022.
CA Descano announced today that Brandon Reese Larsen, 29, was indicted on three felony child pornography charges, including one count each of production, solicitation, and possession of child pornography.
CA Descano announced that a jury convicted Jaeyoung Lee, 34, of seven felonies in a sprawling case related to the 2017 shooting of Jeremy Tammone, 49.
CA Descano released his office's First Term Report, showing that the Office of the Commonwealth's Attorney (OCA) is taking a more effective and just approach to prosecution that is directed at the root causes of crime.
CA Descano announced that Steven Green, 55, pleaded guilty to manslaughter and malicious wounding for the 2019 shooting of Miguel Leiva Hernandez. His March trial had ended in a hung jury.
CA Descano announced that Ronnie Marshall, 22, was sentenced to life in prison for murdering Army (Ret.) Colonel Brenda and Colonel Dr. Edward McDaniel in front of their Springfield home.
CA Descano announced that Veronica Youngblood, 37, was sentenced to up to 78 years by a jury for killing her two daughters in 2018.
CA Descano released the attached statement regarding the death of Timothy McCree Johnson, 37.
CA Descano announced that Juan Oliva-Ruiz, 19, and Shantica Tillers, 23, were indicted by a grand jury on three felony counts each for the death of their 11-month-old, who overdosed on fentanyl in June 2022.
CA Descano welcomed the results of a recent survey showing that 94% of residents in Northern Virginia feel safe in their neighborhoods.
CA Descano announced that a jury convicted Yohannes Nessibu, 28, of voluntary manslaughter for the 2016 killing of Henok Yohannes. The jury also found Nessibu guilty of an additional felony for using a firearm in commission of a felony. Nessibu was previously convicted of first-degree murder in a separate August 2022 trial for the killing of Kedest Simeneh, which occurred during the same…
CA Descano announced that beginning March 1, residents will no longer need to attend a court hearing for eligible expungements, as part of a new streamlines process developed in conjunction with the court and clerk's office.
CA Descano announced that DC rapper Noah Settles, 23, has pled guilty to four felonies regarding firing a gun in Tysons Corner Center Mall last summer. Settles faces up to 33 years in prison with a statutory minimum of three years.
CA Descano released new data for the OCA's bond data dashboard, showing that prosecutors increasingly recommend individuals accused of nonviolent offenses to be released pretrial, while continuing to recommend holding the vast majority of individuals accused of violent crimes or sex offenses.
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CA Descano announced that Zackary Burkard, 20, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for killing two teenagers with a ghost gun.
CA Descano announced that Joshua Danehower, 33, of Arlington, was indicted by a grand jury yesterday in the killing of Gret Glyer.
CA Descano's report on the August 2nd, 2022officer involved shooting in Herndon.
Fairfax Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano announced that earlier this week a grand jury indicted Dominick Baldi, 25, for charges related to child pornography.
Fairfax Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano announced that yesterday a grand jury indicted Troy Reynolds, 48, for charges related to driving a school bus full of kindergartners while intoxicated.
Fairfax Commonwealth's Attorney Steve Descano today awarded grants to nonprofits in the county that directly serve child victims of crime, victims of sexual abuse, and victims of domestic violence. The grants were awarded through the first-of-its-kind Community Partnership Grant Program.
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CA Descano announced today that Charles Helem has plead guilty to the 1987 cold-case murder of Eige Sober-Adler.
Today, CA Descano announced jury convictions in two separate rape cases, including that of Drew John Steiner. Both cases will have sentencing hearings on March 3rd.
Fairfax County Commonwealth's Attorney Steve Descano announced today the conviction of a Lorton man after a week-long trial on murder and weapons charges in connection with the May 26th, 2021 execution-style homicides of a husband and wife, both Army colonels.
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CA Descano's report on the July 5th, 2022 officer involved shooting in Herndon.
Today, Fairfax County Commonwealth's Attorney Steve Descano released the first data dashboard our team has developed. This dashboard provides an unprecedented look at the pretrial and bond recommendations of our office's prosecutors.
Visit our website to explore the data.
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Today, CA Descano announced the indictment of a 32-year-old Washington, D.C. resident for manslaughter in a DUI-related fatal car crash earlier this year.
CA Descano's report on the 6/30/2022 officer involved shooting at Springfield Mall.
CA Descano announced today that an Alexandria man was convicted of first-degree murder and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. He faces up to life in prison. He has a formal sentencing hearing scheduled for Feb. 17, 2023.
CA Descano announced today that an Alexandria man was sentenced to four life sentences plus 36 years after being convicted of two counts of rape, four counts of aggravated sexual battery, and two counts of object sexual penetration last year.
CA Descano announced today that a Springfield, VA man was convicted this week of two counts of manslaughter. The charges against him stemmed from a double homicide on April 25th, 2021 that involved a ghost gun as the murder weapon.
Commonwealth's Attorney Steve Descano announced today that evidence presented during a General District Court preliminary hearing on malicious discharge of a firearm and other weapons charges against a Washington, D.C. man was sufficient for a judge's ruling to certify to the grand jury.
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Today, CA Descano announced that Jose Noe Quintanilla, 42, of Alexandria was sentenced to 29 years of active prison time after being convicted in April of three counts of object sexual penetration of a child under the age of 13 and one count of child rape.
Fairfax County Commonwealth's Attorney Steve Descano announced today the conviction of a Springfield man after a seven-day trial on murder and weapons charges in connection with a Nov. 28, 2020shooting involving an assault rifle.
Today, Commonwealth's Attorney Steve Descano announced the indictment of a former Fairfax County school nurse for allegedly stealing student prescriptions then substituting them for over-the-counter medications.
This morning, CA Descano announced the indictment of Usman Shahid on manslaughter charges for striking and killing two teenage pedestrians on June 7th in Oakton.
CA Descano is proud to announce a new grant opportunity for community organizations that serve victims of sexual violence and domestic violence.
Fairfax Commonwealth's Attorney Steve Descano announced today that Carlos Camacho was indicted by a Fairfax County grand jury last week on 15 counts of embezzlement and 4 counts of forgery.
"I will never prosecute a woman for making her own healthcare decisions."
Commonwealth's Attorney Steve Descano issues the following statement following Attorney General Miyares' decision to withdraw from the case against the U.S. Park Police Officers who shot and killed Bijan Ghaisar.
The deferred disposition program, Taking Root, is a collaboration between the Commonwealth's Attorney Office and OAR.
Statement from CA Descano on guilty verdict in Megan Hargan's double murder trial.
Statement from CA Descano on verdict in case against Tyler Timberlake.
Report on 2/15/22 Officer Involved Shooting.
Statement from CA Descano Regarding 1/4/22 Officer Involved Shooting
"We believe that a jury should have the opportunity to hear all of the evidence and determine whether these men committed a crime when they shot and killed Bijan Ghaisar.”
"We in Fairfax County have no tolerance for such disregard for human life and I am committed to addressing crimes of this magnitude with the seriousness they merit. Accordingly, I plan to seek a life sentence for Mr. Hetle."
"We in Fairfax County have no tolerance for individuals who prey on our young people and my office will always act to hold those responsible for such heinous crimes accountable." CA Descano's statement on charging of Brendan Lynch.
“...We will continue to do everything in our power to... pursue justice on behalf of the community and the Ghaisar Family.” Read CA Descano & AG Mark Herring's statement re: today's hearing in case against U.S. Park Police officers who took Bijan Ghaisar's life.
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Read CA Descano's statement regarding the July 19, 2021 officer involved shooting.
“Crimes against children and crimes of domestic violence are top priorities for my team and it’s best practice to have such cases handled by specialists." See today's release about CA Descano's launch of units dedicated to crimes against children and crimes of domestic violence.
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Fairfax County Commonwealth's Attorney Steve Descano issued the following statement regarding the indictment of former Fairfax County Police Officer John Grimes for engaging in sexual misconduct with a minor in the Fairfax County Police Public Safety Cadet Program.
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CA Descano announced the launch of a state-of-the-art data program to track and mitigate racial disparities in Fairfax County's justice system. The office will be partnering with national experts, including the Vera Institute of Justice and American University's School of Public Affairs.
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Statement from CA Descano on the Arrest of Jasmine Moawad
CA Descano Commends Passage of FY 2022 Budget by Fairfax County Board of Supervisors.
Joint Statement from CA Descano and AG Herring on Decision to Keep the Case Against Two U.S. Park Police Officers who Fatally Shot Bijan Ghaisar in Federal Court.
Fairfax County Commonwealth's Attorney Steve Descano issued the following statement on the indictment of Drew John Steiner for rape, abduction, and unlawful videotaping.
Statement from CA Descano on Today's Hearing Regarding Effort to Secure Elon Wilson's Release from Prison Following 20 Months of Unjust Incarceration.
Statement from CA Descano on Today's Hearing Regarding Effort to Secure Elon Wilson's Release from Prison Following 20 Months of Unjust Incarceration.
CA Descano was pleased to host the first meeting of the Fairfax County Justice Advisory Council. The Council includes 19 community members with a diversity of experience and will help the office further engage with the community about reforms to the local criminal justice system.
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CA Descano's statement on indictment of Glenn Allen Myer for firing at law enforcement officers.
Statement from the Office of CA Descano on December 17, 2020 officer involved shooting.
CA Descano and colleagues from across the state called on the legislature to pass critical criminal justice reforms that include expungement of criminal records &an end to the death penalty, cash bail, mandatory minimums,and third strike felony enhancement for petty larceny.
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"I want to reassure the Ghaisar family, our community, and everyone following this case that I will not give up and I am committed to pursuing justice for Bijan—my office and I stand ready for trial.” -SD
Update on Bijan Ghaisar Case - Park Police Officers turned themselves in and were arraigned. CA called for following conditions of bond ahead of trial: no possession of firearms or ammunition, no exercise of police powers, cannot leave Virginia.
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CA Descano has announced indictments of federal officers involved in the shooting of Bijan Ghaisar.
Fairfax County Commonwealth's Attorney Steve Descano released the following statement regarding the spread of recent misinformation regarding the prosecution of animal cruelty offenses.
"We are a group of Commonwealth's Attorneys who represent and are responsible for the safety of over 40% of the population of the Commonwealth of Virginia. As the national dialogue and push for meaningful systemic change within criminal justice and policing continues, we submit this letter to you as a statement of our commitment to these changes and meaningful reforms and of our willingness to…
Fairfax County Commonwealth's Attorney Steve Descano released the following statement regarding Juneteenth.
Fairfax County Commonwealth's Attorney Steve Descano released the following statement regarding the arrest of Officer Tyler Timberlake for assault and battery.
New reforms in the Fairfax County Commonwealth's Attorney's Office include formation of an advisory council, restructure of office leadership, and a focus on new data collection and sharing practices.
Read the press release here.
As part of our continued commitment to transparency, we're releasing this letter that CA Descano sent to the DOJ today in regards to the ongoing Ghaisar case.
Read the letter here.
Today we’re announcing a new, temporary plan to remotely process low-level traffic cases in which defendants are not in custody and there will be no jail time. Defense attorneys interested in utilizing this new procedure should read this uploaded guidance.
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Our response to COVID-19 is having a positive initial impact. Here's an update: 73 recommended for early release or pretrial release after reexamination (does not include reinforced pretrial policies to defer away from incarceration). Jail pop on 3/1 = 736, Jail pop on 4/14 = 520
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Fairfax County Commonwealth's Attorney Steve Descano released the following statement regarding the expansion of his office's response to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Read the press release here.
Read Fairfax County Commonwealth's Attorney Descano's latest statement to learn more about recent steps to mitigate risk of COVID-19 for individuals in our criminal justice system.
Read the press release here.
“We've worked tirelessly to establish a process that protects the health and well-being of everyone involved in our CJS — that includes victims, defendants, attorneys, Judges, officers, and anyone else that comes into our courthouse and/or interacts with our process.” - Steve Descano
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In light of the health risks made imminent by COVID-19, the Fairfax County CA’s Office will take these steps to limit the number of people who need to come into the courthouse and limit possible exposure to the virus by people who work within our criminal justice system.
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Commonwealth's Attorney Descano official statement regarding the resentencing of Mark E. Lawlor.
Read the press release here.
As part of our continued commitment to transparency, we're releasing the U.S. Department of Justice's position denying federal cooperation with our investigation into the Bijan Ghaisar matter and our response to that position.
Read the…
Fairfax County Commonwealth's Attorney Steve Descano released the following statement regarding the Virginia General Assembly's passage of legislation decriminalizing the possession of marijuana through both chambers.
