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 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.
Due to inclement weather, the Prince William County Judicial Center will be closed tomorrow, Monday, January 6, 2025. This closure affects all courts at the Judicial Center, including the Circuit Court, General District Court, and Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court.
The Prince William County Judicial Center, located in Manassas, is a significant facility serving the legal needs of a county with a population of over 482,000. The center houses several courtrooms, offices for judges and clerks, and resources for public access to judicial services. Its size and capacity make it a central hub for legal proceedings in one of Virginia’s most populous counties.
In front of Prince William Circuit Court Judge Kimberly A. Irving on December 4, 2024, prosecutors read the additional charges of First Degree Murder and Defiling a Dead Body to the defendant Naresh Bhatt.
He was indicted on First Degree Murder and Physically Defiling charges in the disappearance of his wife, Mamta Kafle Bhatt, 28, in August.
A Prince William County Grand Jury returned an indictment of First Degree Murder and Physically Defiling the body of Mamta Kafle Bhatt, 28, against her husband and Manassas Park resident Naresh Bhatt.
In a Dec. 2 press conference, Manassas Park Police Chief Mario Lugo said, “I feel we have a strong case despite not having a body,” His department has been working closely with prosecutors to develop the case despite Bhatt not cooperating. “Based on the evidence at the crime scene, we knew early on we were dealing with a murder,” Lugo added, “all the evidence points to one person, and that is [Bhatt].”
On November 7, 2024, Prince William County Circuit Court Judge Angela Horan of the Prince William County Circuit Court ordered Anthony Omar Andrade, 26, to serve 30 years in prison for the second-degree murder of his close friend, Jose Alonso Bedregal, in November 2023.
The case, prosecuted by Senior Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Garrett Jagtiani, reached its conclusion after Andrade’s guilty plea to the murder charge, with the court sentencing him to 40 years with 10 years suspended, followed by five years of supervised probation upon his release.
A rising musician who plays for Huntley, made famous on NBC’s “The Voice” is due in a Prince William County courtroom on November 4, 2024, charged in the shooting death of his father and his dog.
Christopher Tyler Rose, guitarist for Season 24 ‘The Voice’ competition winner Michael Huntley, of Fredericksburg, aka Huntley, was taken into custody in the early hours of October 28 on charges related to a deadly shooting that left his father and the family dog dead.
On October 29, a Prince William Circuit Court judge denied an appeal for bail for Dr. Latoya Crabbe, who stands accused of second-degree murder in the shooting of her husband, Curtis Crabbe Jr.
Prosecutors allege that Crabbe admitted to the October 21 shooting. Her attorney, David Daughtery, maintains it was an act of self-defense. With Judge Kimberly A. Irving’s ruling, Crabbe will remain in the Prince William County jail without bond.
In a meeting on October 8, 2024, the Prince William Board of County Supervisors approved funding for new positions in the Commonwealth Attorney’s Office, addressing the office’s need for additional resources to handle an increasing caseload. The positions include four new attorney roles: paralegal, victim-witness staff, and administrative staff. Commonwealth Attorney Amy Ashworth emphasized the importance of these positions for the efficiency and effectiveness of the county’s criminal justice system.
The new hires come after Ashworth said she would withhold prosecution of certain misdemeanor charges, effective May 1, 2024, if county leaders don’t give her more employees.
From The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia:
Two executives at a contractor for the U.S. Air Force (USAF) pled guilty to theft of government property after diverting over $12 million from an Air Force contract to pay for unrelated personal and business expenses.
