Coronavirus Horror: Accused Rapist Released from Jail, Murders His Victim, Then Kills Self

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to provide heart-breaking stories of government decisions gone bad. In Virginia, a 33-year-old man, Ibrahim Bouaichi, charged last October with raping a 31-year-old woman he reportedly had been in a relationship with, was released from jail in April pending his trial due to concerns over the spread of the disease at the jail where he was being held.
Bouaichi, who was supposed to stay at home except to meet with his lawyers or appear in court, instead sought out his accuser, Karla Dominguez, and shot and killed her outside her Alexandria apartment on July 29. When police caught up to him, he killed himself.
Bouaichi ordinarily would have stayed in jail until his trial on the five felony counts stemming from the violent events of last October, but his attorneys filed a motion asking for him to be released on bond. They argued that visitation at the Alexandria jail where he was being held was curtailed because of COVID-19, and that they needed to be able to meet with him to prepare his defense. At the time, the jail had experienced no reported cases of COVID-19.
The judge granted the motion over the objections of prosecutors and released Bouachi on a $25,000 bond but did not require him to wear an ankle monitor. He was soon arrested in a different county after a drunken incident at a fast-food restaurant where he rammed a police car, but somehow the police and prosecutors in Alexandria were never informed of that arrest. If they had known of it, prosecutors would have obtained the revocation of his bond and Bouachi would have been back in jail and unable to commit murder.
Many states are reducing jail and prison populations due to COVID-19 concerns. California is estimated to be releasing over 17,000 inmates prior to the official end of their prison terms. Nationwide, the prison population dropped from 1.3 million to 1.2 million between March and June, due to what experts say are “prohibitions stopping new prisoners from being accepted from local jails, parole officers sending fewer people back to prison for low-level violations, and court closures due to coronavirus leading to fewer people being sentenced.”
The sad irony here is that due to the misguided attempt to save prisoners from potentially contracting a disease, a young woman was murdered. The Bouachi case is an object lesson in poor policy decisions resulting from overblown COVID-19 fears.
Photo from Shutterstock
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Bruce Hausknecht, J.D., is an attorney who serves as Focus on the Family’s judicial analyst. He is responsible for research and analysis of legal and judicial issues related to Christians and the institution of the family, including First Amendment freedom of religion and free speech issues, judicial activism, marriage, homosexuality and pro-life matters. He also tracks legislation and laws affecting these issues. Prior to joining Focus in 2004, Hausknecht practiced law for 17 years in construction litigation and as an associate general counsel for a large ministry in Virginia. He was also an associate pastor at a church in Colorado Springs for seven years, primarily in worship music ministry. Hausknecht has provided legal analysis and commentary for top media outlets including CNN, ABC News, NBC News, CBS Radio, The New York Times, the Chicago Tribune, The Washington Post, The Washington Times, the Associated Press, the Los Angeles Times, The Wall Street Journal, the Boston Globe and BBC radio. He’s also a regular contributor to The Daily Citizen. He earned a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Illinois and his J.D. from Northwestern University School of Law. Hausknecht has been married since 1981 and has three adult children, as well as three adorable grandkids. In his free time, Hausknecht loves getting creative with his camera and capturing stunning photographs of his adopted state of Colorado.
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