LOUDOUN COUNTY, Va. – In what has become an all too frequent news story, the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office in Virginia announced that an arrest of an illegal migrant has been made in connection with the double homicide of a couple in August, according to reports.
The suspect was identified by authorities as 18-year-old Marlyn Medrano-Ortiz. He is a self-identified MS-13 gang member and also an undocumented immigrant who is illegally in the US, according to law enforcement officials, WUSA 9 reported.
Police received a call around 4:30 a.m. on August 28 regarding an argument in the Ridgetop Circle area of Sterling, Virginia. The couple was found by authorities suffering from gunshot wounds and were transported to the hospital, where they died, Loudon Now reported.
The murder victims were identified as Mijal Conejero-Romera, 22, as well as Mijal’s boyfriend, Diego Alexander Woollett, 22, according to the Post Millennial.
Last Wednesday, at approximately 6:01 p.m. officers with the Alexandria Police Department recognized local man Medrano-Ortiz in the 4100 block of Mt. Vernon Avenue. They had seen him in a law enforcement bulletin looking for the suspect in the double homicide and arrested him. Not only is he charged with second-degree murder and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, but officials said more charges are pending, according to Law&Crime.
“I am on record strongly opposing the presence of MS-13 and other violent gangs in our nation and local communities. MS-13 is an El Salvador-based gang that uses intimidation, crime, and violence as tools of the trade, and there should be no safe place for them here,” Sheriff Mike Chapman said.
An illegal immigrant who is a member of the MS-13 gang has been arrested for a double homicide
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) October 28, 2024
The sheriff noted that when he first arrived in the county in 2012 and 2013, there were issues with gangs in the area but it had been reduced.
However, “it seems to me that it’s starting to pick up again and that’s what really concerns me,” Chapman said.
Tinayia Henderson mourned her best friend, Conejero-Romera, who was shot and killed during the double homicide in August.
“She didn’t deserve this,” Henderson, said last week. “It hurts knowing every day that there’s no answer for her. There’s no answer for Diego.”
Now, investigators believe they have answers as Medrano-Ortiz has been charged with second-degree murder and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, while additional charges are pending, officials confirmed, according to WUSA 9.
As the double homicide investigation progresses, detectives are trying to determine if additional suspects were involved, officials said.
Medrano-Ortiz is next scheduled to appear December 5 in court for a preliminary hearing.
