A rape suspect from Maryland who shot and killed a woman in Virginia died on August 8 from a self-inflicted gunshot wound that he got on August 5. According to the Alexandria Police, the man was accused of sexual assault by the victim. He was released temporarily due to COVID-19 scare in jails.
Going after the victim
The suspect, 33-year-old Ibrahim E. Bouaichi, was wanted for the murder of Karla Dominguez on July 29. She was found shot to death outside her apartment. The authorities spotted Bouaichi on August 5 in Prince George's County, Maryland. The chase ended in a car crash.
When the authorities reached his car, they saw that he had shot himself. He was immediately rushed to the hospital and had been in grave condition since he arrived.
Bouiachi was in a relationship with Dominguez, he was indicted on rape charges in 2019 and was released in April 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic, according to the Washington Post.
The suspect was accused of sodomy, rape, strangulation, burglary, abduction, and malicious wounding in the attack that happened on October 10, 2019, as reported by The Sun.
The attack happened at Dominguez's apartment in Alexandria, Virginia and she testified against him in December 2019, stating that the attack was violent and the sex was not consensual. The grand jury dropped the malicious wounding charge in its indictment.
However, when the coronavirus pandemic was at its peak, the attorneys of Bouiaichi argued that it was dangerous for him and them if he remains in jail while waiting for the trial, as reported by New York Daily News.
The prosecutors objected but Circuit Court Judge Nolan Dawkins released Bouaichi on $25,000 on April 9. He was ordered not to leave his home in Maryland except to meet his attorneys.
On August 8, it was reported that Greenbelt police had arrested Bouiachi in May when they found him drunk in a drive-thru line at a Wendy's restaurant and allegedly rammed a cruiser with his vehicle. He was charged with multiple counts of assault, drunk driving and traffic charges, he was then released on bond after he spent a night in jail.
Alexandria Commonwealth's Attorney Bryan L. Porter told The Washington Post that prosecutors would have filed a motion to revoke the suspect's bond, but neither Greenbelt police nor Prince George's County notified Alexandria of the arrest.
On July 29, Bouiachi went back to Alexandria and shot Dominguez outside of her apartment. The attorneys of the suspect, Manuel Leiva and Frank Salvato said in a statement that they were "saddened by the tragedy both families have suffered" and that they had been waiting for the trial of the cases if not for the COVID-19 pandemic.
Releasing the suspect
In April, both attorneys argued that coronavirus restrictions at the jail meant that the suspect was "being effectively deprived of legal counsel."
The attorneys argued that they were prevented from face to face meetings with their clients and they were only allowed video conferences for 30 minutes at a time.
However, Alexandria jail spokeswoman Amy Bertsch said that they allow in-person visits on request but they do not have any record of Mr. Leiva and Mr. Salvato requesting a face-to-face visit with Ibrahim Bouaichi after the protocols went into effect in late March.
