A man who was released from jail while awaiting trial due to COVID-19 fears, after being arrested and charged for committing rape, allegedly went onto kill his accuser following his release.
Ibrahim E. Bouaichi, 33, was indicted on rape, strangulation, abduction charges, and harming a law enforcement dog last December and held without bond until the pandemic struck. As COVID-19 began seeing those in jails and prisons released, the defendant’s lawyers argued for Bouaichi’s release because the virus could have endangered his life.
Before being released, Bouaichi had turned himself into law enforcement 11 days after the alleged assault. Police now say that after being released, Bouaichi tracked down his accuser and murdered her.
WJLA reports that on July 29 a woman identified as Karla Elizabeth Dominguez Gonzalez, a Venezuelan native with no known family members in America, was found shot dead at an Alexandria, Virginia, home a few months after her alleged rapist was granted a premature release on bond.
Dominguez had testified against Bouaichi at Alexandria District Court, alleging that he raped her, leading to his imprisonment.
Alexandria Police Department Announces Homicide Suspect Has Been Taken Into Custody: https://t.co/THA1cXi79t
— Alexandria Police (@AlexandriaVAPD) August 5, 2020
A now-retired Circuit Court Judge Nolan Dawkins granted Bouaichi terms for a $25,000 bond on April 9 that included extreme travel restrictions grounding him to his Maryland home. Gonzalez was alerted about his release on the same day.
Bouaichi was only allowed to leave his home to visit lawyers or officials related to his ongoing case.
A week after Dominguez’s murder, Bouaichi was seen out of his home in another county by police officers working with the FBI. Law enforcement officers gave chase, provoking Bouaichi to crash his car and administering a self-inflicted gunshot wound that required urgent medical treatment.
According to WUSA9, Bouaichi’s attorneys expressed in a statement that they were “certainly saddened by the tragedy both families have suffered here.” They added that they “were looking forward to trial. Unfortunately, the pandemic continued the trial date by several months and we didn’t get the chance to put forth our case.”
The decision to release prisoners due to coronavirus fears has been met with ample disdain and criticism.
A GoFundMe surpassing $6,000 has been set up to cover Gonzalez’s funeral costs.