Courts

Manassas

Defense Slams Prosecutors for ‘Gross’ Delay in Latoya Crabbe Murder Case

By Alan Gloss
Latoya Crabbe

Prince William County Assistant prosecutor D. Burke Walker told Circuit Court Judge Angela Horan that his office would file a motion on the first day of trial not to prosecute Latoya Crabbe on her 2nd-degree murder charge but instead will move to indict her on 1st-degree murder charge.

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News

Convicted Rapist to Serve 30 Years after Girl, 15, Violated

By Uriah Kiser
The Judicial Center for Prince William County, Manassas, and Manassas Park.

The Prince William County Commonwealth Attorney’s Office posted an announcement: A 53-year-old man who raped a 15-year-old will serve 30 years in prison.

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Fredericksburg

Petition Seeks Release of Applications, Notes Related to Fredericksburg City Council’s Ward 3 Vacancy

By Uriah Kiser

(FXBG Advance) – A Fredericksburg resident has filed a petition asking the Circuit Court to compel the release of applications, notes, and interview questions related to the recent Ward 3 vacancy and to block Council from holding closed meetings to discuss matters related to filling the vacancy.

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Fredericksburg

Eastern District of Virginia Convictions: Drug Trafficking, Assault, Fraud, and Illegal Reentry

By Uriah Kiser

Federal prosecutors in the Eastern District of Virginia recently secured convictions in multiple high-profile cases. A Maryland man was convicted of trafficking cocaine and fentanyl to Fredericksburg, while a Stafford man was found guilty of assaulting a deaf passenger during a flight. A Honduran national was sentenced for illegally reentering the U.S. and failing to register as a sex offender, and a Dumfries man pleaded guilty to fraudulently obtaining COVID-19 relief funds. Each case underscores the ongoing efforts of law enforcement to hold criminals accountable. Read on for case details and links to full press releases.

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News

Manassas Man Receives Lenient Sentence After Plea Deal in Mall Shooting, Jailhouse Beating Cases

By Alan Gloss
Russell

A Manassas man who brought a Uzi to Manassas Mall got a lenient sentence after Commonwealth Attorney Amy Ashworth offered him a sweetheart deal to close out two separate cases related to the mall shooting that left an innocent bystander and one of the combatants injured and another case where, while in custody where charging documents allege he participated in a jailhouse beating with five other men who cornered and beat three members of a rival gang.

Daevon Russell, 19, of 9306 Taney Road in Manassas, who was free on a cash-free bond for a 2023 Manassas City shooting that left another teen paralyzed from the neck down, was on pre-trial probation when he went to the Manassas Mall on July 9, 2024, armed with the Uzi and got into an altercation with another group of teens in the food court. The altercation spilled outside into the parking lot when the shooting began.  The stipulations of his pretrial release required him not to possess weapons, and Virginia law bars those under 21 from possessing handguns.

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Manassas

Man Accused of Abducting Manassas Schoolgirl Faces Grand Jury; Faces Deportation, says Family

By Alan Gloss

Jesus Enrique Ramirez Cabrera, 23, of Manassas, appeared in a Prince William County court Thursday, January 23, for a preliminary hearing related to his arrest last fall after he was accused of abducting a Manassas City school girl at a city bus stop.

Initially, Ramirez Cabrera was charged with Abduction of a Minor, Robbery using Force, both felonies and misdemeanors, Petit Larceny, and Impersonating an Officer.

After a delay to consult with the victim, Assistant District Attorney Elena Ventura announced that the Commonwealth was dropping the two misdemeanor charges. Nebye Kahssai of the Public Defender’s Office told Judge Lisa Baird that Ramirez Cabrera waived his right to a preliminary trial.
Initially, Ramirez Cabrera was charged with Abduction of a Minor, Robbery using Force, both felonies and misdemeanors Petit Larceny, and Impersonating an Officer.

After a delay to consult with the victim, Assistant District Attorney Elena Ventura announced that the Commonwealth was dropping the two misdemeanor charges. Nebye Kahssai of the Public Defender’s Office told Judge Lisa Baird that Ramirez Cabrera waived his right to a preliminary trial.

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Originals

Lack of Medical Examiner’s Report Delays Dumfries Fatal Shooting Case

By Uriah Kiser

The preliminary hearing for Tryevon Davis, one of three men charged in connection with the fatal shooting of 43-year-old Jason Thomas Blake in Dumfries, has been delayed due to the pending completion of the Medical Examiner’s report. This critical evidence is being handled by the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) Northern District office.

Davis, along with Jerrome Thomas Barnes, 40, and Jackson Arthur Crisler, 30, face charges stemming from a fatal shooting on October 25, 2024. Police said Blake had gone to a residence on Cherry Hill Road in Dumfries to sell a firearm and purchase narcotics. An altercation ensued, leading to Blake being handcuffed, abducted, and taken to a secluded area along Triangle Street, where he was fatally shot. His body was discovered two days later in the backseat of his car.

The Prince William County Police Department charged Davis, 31, of Dumfries, with accessory before the fact in the commission of a felony, conspiracy to commit a felony, two counts of use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, and abduction. Barnes and Crisler face additional charges, including murder and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. All three suspects remain in custody without bond.

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Manassas

Unlicensed Tow Operator Charged in $26K Scam, Prince William Resident Recovers Stolen Car After Two Months

By Alan Gloss
A photo of Tillman’s flatbed tow truck from a Facebook page associated with his business. (Facebook)

A Prince William County resident, Bethany Selvage, has her car back nearly two months after an unlicensed tow operator stole it, according to police. On January 2, 2025, Manassas City Police located Selvage’s 2018 Nissan Sentra.

Police have since charged Michael Tillman, owner of Tillman’s Auto Salon in Manassas, with a third felony offense related to illegal towing and demanding exorbitant fees for vehicle release. This charge represents the third vehicle Tillman is accused of stealing, and authorities say more charges are likely as they uncover years of him towing without a license.

In the most recent case, police say Tillman took a 2018 Toyota Yaris from the Raising Cane’s parking lot on Liberia Avenue just outside Manassas under false pretenses. The Yaris owners had contacted their insurance company, which arranged for a tow truck. Police said Tillman arrived before the legitimate tow company, misrepresented himself as the insurance company’s provider, and obtained the vehicle.

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Manassas

Justin Burns’ Killer Pleads Guilty to Involuntary Manslaughter

By Alan Gloss
Burns

Manassas Park Resident Jose Rafael Lizama pled guilty Friday, January 3, 2024, to felony Involuntary Manslaughter stemming from a December 2, 2023 crash where Lizama admitted to striking and killing pedestrian Justin Burns, 39, of Blackstone, Va.

Lizama

Lizama appeared with an interpreter, and his lawyer stood before Judge Angela Horan and took responsibility for the 11 p.m. crash in front of Old Towne Sports Pub in Manassas.

During Lizama’s preliminary hearing in May 2024, Prosecutors presented evidence, including a nearby homeowner’s security camera footage that caught Lizama’s van traveling at a high rate of speed, striking Burns as he crossed the street in an unlit area of Center Street.

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