A prosecutor in Fairfax County, Virginia, was warned against releasing an illegal immigrant with a rap sheet before he went on to fatally stab 41-year-old mother Stephanie Minter, according to ABC7.
Abdul Jalloh, 32, an illegal immigrant from Sierra Leone, allegedly murdered Minter at a local bus stop on Feb. 23. He allegedly fled the scene, leaving behind her lifeless.
Police nabbed him the next day.
Fairfax County police repeatedly warned Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano’s office about how dangerous Abdul Jalloh was before Stephanie Minter’s murder.
In November, a police major told Descano’s office, “Jenna, Good morning. I hope things are well. I wanted… https://t.co/ouqkJPgvPD pic.twitter.com/E8bFmNMBuY
— Nick Minock (@NickMinock) March 4, 2026
Jalloh had at least 30 previous arrests for charges of rape, malicious wounding, assault, drug possession, identity theft, trespassing, larceny, firing a weapon, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, and pickpocketing, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
An officer with the Fairfax County Police Department notified Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano’s office in November, warning that he could continue on his crime rampage upon release, according to emails obtained by 7News reporter Nick Minock via a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request.
“I want to bring Mr. Jalloh’s release to your attention because Mr. Jalloh is one of the repeat (and violent) offenders we discussed when we met. I wanted to get your background on why he is out so soon and ask if his prior suspended sentence (of I believe five years) was pursued by your office?” the email read.
“Unfortunately, based on MTV Station’s numerous dealings with him, it’s not a question of if, but rather when he will maliciously wound (or worse) again. My role of keeping the public safe prompts me to follow up on his status,” it added.
Most of the 40 previous charges against Jalloh have been dropped by Descano, according to ABC7.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement lodged a detainer with local police on Feb. 25, asking them to transfer Jalloh to federal custody so he’s not released, DHS said.
But Democratic Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger has indicated she won’t allow local law enforcement to honor the detainer without a judicial warrant, which is not standard protocol for ICE, according to ABC7.
DHS is now putting the pressure on Spanberger to hand him over.
“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,” Homeland Security Deputy Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said in a recent statement.
“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,” Bis said.
An August email between police in the county stated that Jalloh had over 100 interactions with the department. His record began with domestic violence incidents followed by multiple stabbings, the local news outlet reported.
Jalloh was identified as the offender in a stabbing that occurred in May, according to ABC7. He received a bond on July 31.
Three weeks later, he allegedly assaulted another man and stomped his head into the ground.
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