Fairfax County prosecutor Steve Descano was aware of an illegal immigrant’s violent past and still elected to set him free, new Freedom of Information Act filings show.
Abdul Jalloh, who has been arrested more than 30 times, allegedly murdered 41-year-old mother Stephanie Minter on Feb. 23. Minter’s body was found at a bus stop in Hybla Valley, Va. with “multiple stab wounds to the upper body” according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Jalloh entered the country illegally in 2012 and, according to records, is a violent repeat offender.
Fairfax County Police Major Jeff Mauro emailed Jenna Sands, the Fairfax County Chief Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney and Descano’s second-in-command, to protest Jalloh’s release from police custody. Mauro cited Jalloh’s “extensive criminal history,” including stabbing several people and sexually assaulting a woman.
“Mr. Jalloh is one of the repeat (and violent) felony offenders I expressed concern about when we met,” Mauro wrote in the email. “He has an extensive criminal history—he has stabbed multiple people, sexually assaulted at least one woman, and committed numerous other criminal offenses. Furthermore, his behavior appears to be escalating and becoming more violent and explosive.”
FOIA: Police *repeatedly* Warned Descano About Violent Criminal Alien Abdul Jalloh Before He Murdered Stephanie Minter, Then Descano LIED
Fairfax Police Major: Dude is gonna kill someone, prosecute him
Descano’s #2 Jenna Sands: *Shrugs* & proceeds to free him to kill
More below:… pic.twitter.com/oDMeVbU0jv— Virginians 4 Safe Communities (@VA4SafeComm) March 4, 2026
Mauro explained that he was “concerned that it is not a question of if, but rather when he will maliciously wound (or worse) again.”
According to records posted on X, Fairfax County police encountered the man 178 times. Jalloh attacked an elderly person, stabbed an individual in the head and raped a woman after choking her.
Fairfax Police encountered Jalloh 178 times! “Mr. Jalloh is one of the repeat (and violent) felony offenders | expressed concern about when we met. He has an extensive criminal history—he has stabbed multiple people, sexually assaulted at least one woman, and committed numerous… pic.twitter.com/PWSU3NkNFQ
— Virginians 4 Safe Communities (@VA4SafeComm) March 4, 2026
Should Virginia prioritize notifying ICE when violent criminals are released?
Despite Jalloh’s violent criminal history, Sands told affiliate NBC Washington, “In multiple cases, we were unable to move forward with prosecution because victims could not be located or contacted, despite considerable effort from our police department to bring them to court.”
An email posted to X shows, however, that Fairfax Deputy Police Chief Brooke Wright explicitly requested “prosecuting without a victim in court” due to the circumstances of the case, which Wright says, “she was on board with.”
DESCANO CAUGHT LYING TO MEDIA:
Deputy Chief of Police Brooke Wright asked Descano’s #2 (Jenna Sands) directly for a “victimless” prosecution against Abdul Jalloh. Sands agreed but Descano told media he dropped charges because victims weren’t cooperating pic.twitter.com/bHTYFdRDxu— Virginians 4 Safe Communities (@VA4SafeComm) March 4, 2026
Fairfax County did not respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
Deputy Assistant Secretary of DHS Lauren Bis called on Virginia Democrat Gov. Abigail Spanberger to not release violent criminals without notifying Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
“We are calling on Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger and Virginia’s sanctuary politicians to commit to not releasing this murderer and violent career criminal from their jail without notifying ICE,” Bis said. “This illegal alien’s murder of an innocent, beautiful American woman came less than 24 hours before Governor Spanberger’s demonization of ICE law enforcement. This heinous criminal is a perfect example of why we need cooperation from sanctuary jurisdictions and the importance of third country removals for the safety of the American people.”
Virginia Democrat Gov. Abigail Spanberger has denied this request, according to a statement from Spanberger’s spokesperson, which WJLA reporter Nick Minock read in a video to X.
“DHS should request a signed judicial warrant to ensure this violent criminal is deported,” the statement read. Spanberger signed an executive order on her first day in office, terminating “all existing 287(g) agreements” with ICE. “These agreements placed Virginia law enforcement officers under federal control and supervision to conduct civil immigration enforcement,” the order reads.
(Featured Image Media Credit: Wikimedia Commons/Public/Tony Webster, CC BY-SA 4.0)
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