A Maryland man who was released from a Virginia prison during a coronavirus outbreak was arrested for killing his rape victim.
Ibrahim Bouaichi, who was previously jailed on rape charges, was arrested for murder in the death of Karla Dominguez, of Alexandria, Va.
Bouaichi, 33, was released from jail in April due to an outbreak of the coronavirus, police say. He is currently in a hospital in grave condition from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Bouaichi was initially arrested in Virginia in October 2019 on charges of rape, sodomy, strangulation, abduction and burglary. Dominguez testified against Bouaichi at a preliminary hearing last December.
Bouaichi was held without bond until he was released from jail in April. His rape trial, which was scheduled for March 30, was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Bouaichi’s lawyers said in their motion for bond that “social distancing and proper disinfecting measures are impossible while incarcerated.”
His attorneys also worried that visiting their client in jail would expose themselves to “contaminated air and surfaces.”
Prosecutors objected to his release from jail, but the judge overruled their objections and released Bouaichi on $25,000 bond, with stipulations that he only leave his Maryland home for meetings with “lawyers or pretrial services officials.”
Bouaichi broke the terms of his pre-trial release when he was spotted at a Wendy’s drive-thru in his hometown of Greenbelt, Md., according to the Washington Post.
He resisted arrest and rammed a cop car with his vehicle, the Post reported. He was hit with additional charges of assault with a deadly weapon and traffic violations.
He was released from jail on May 11, as authorities were unaware of his rape case in Virginia.
Police say Bouaichi returned to Alexandria, Va. on July 29 and fatally shot Dominguez outside her apartment.
After police appealed to the public for help locating Bouaichi, he was spotted on Wednesday, Aug. 5, and led federal marshals and Alexandria police on a high-speed chase. The chase ended when Bouaichi crashed, authorities said.
Bouaichi shot himself as police approached his car to arrest him.
The judge who released Bouaichi from jail in April retired from the bench in June.
