‘Rapist murdered his victim’ after judge freed him to keep him safe from coronavirus
A rapist murdered his victim after a judge said he could be freed from jail to keep him safe from coronavirus while awaiting trial, police say. Ibrahim Bouaichi, 33, is accused of shooting his accuser Karla Dominguez dead outside her apartment in Alexandria, Virginia, on July 29.
Bouaichi is accused of violently raping Dominguez at her home last October, and was freed by Circuit Judge Nolan Dawkins on April 9 despite the objections of prosecutors. He had originally been ordered held without bail until his trial, but was freed on $25,000 bond on the condition he only left home to met with his lawyers or court officials.
The Washington Post reported that Bouaichi went on the run after allegedly killing Dominguez, with law enforcement officials branding the fugitive ‘armed and dangerous.’ He was spotted by US Marshals near Alexandria County on Wednesday and chased by police. Bouaichi, who is said to have been in a four month relationship with Dominguez, crashed his car, then shot himself.
He is now critically-ill in hospital. Prosecutor Brian Porter was among those infuriated by the decision to free the alleged rapist and murderer. He said: ‘We strenuously argued that the presumption (against granting bail) had not been overcome, given the facts of the case and the violent nature of the alleged offense.’
Judge Dawkins retired in June, and has not responded to requests for a comment about Dominguez’s murder. Boiaichi was freed after his lawyers Manuel Leiva and Frank Salvato said there was no way of keeping him safe while behind bars.
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They argued: ‘Social distancing and proper disinfecting measures are impossible while incarcerated.… Simply put, the risk of contracting Covid-19 in a jail is exceedingly obvious.’
The lawyers added that restrictions made it much harder for them to visit their client in jail, and also increased the risk of them catching coronavirus as a result.
Bouaichi was one of thousands of prisoners freed on bail or allowed to complete their sentences at home as a result of the coronavirus outbreak, which has infected close to five million Americans and killed 161,000.
Civil liberties groups say it is unconstitutional to keep prisoners in a confined space where they run a greater risk of coronavirus, but others say freeing criminals and suspects poses a risk to public safety.
Dominguez was from Venezuela, and is not believed to have had any family living with her in the United States. A GoFundMe page was set up to help pay for her memorial.
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