Judge Rejects Plea Deal in Ashburn Stabbing Case
Circuit Court Judge Jeanette Irby today rejected a plea deal between prosecutors and 18-year-old Erick A. Joya-Morales, who is charged with stabbing three man in Ashburn earlier this year.
The altercation occurred at 9:15 p.m. May 8 near Blossom Hill Terrace in The Grove at Flynn’s Crossing neighborhood. Joya-Morales was charged with three counts of felony aggravated malicious wounding. According to his defense attorney, Tony Paracha, Joya-Morales acted in self-defense in two of the three stabbings.
In August, Paracha worked out a plea deal with prosecutors in which they agreed to not prosecute two of the charges and to reduce the remaining charge to felony unlawful wounding. Prosecutors also agreed to push for all of Joya-Morales’ jail time to be suspended if he were to be convicted of that single reduced charge. The deal was dependent on the outcome of a separate, unrelated conviction in Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court.
In September, Joya-Morales pleaded guilty to the reduced charge. However, during Thursday’s scheduled sentencing hearing, Irby rejected that deal, meaning all three of Joya-Morales’ aggravated malicious wounding charges are again active.
Paracha is scheduled to be back in court Jan. 12 to schedule a jury trial for the case.
A HUGE thank you to the Honorable Jeanette Irby for rejecting the sweetheart deal our super-duper-tough-on-crime CA made with a violent criminal.
The residents of Loudoun deserve better representation in the courts than what the CA is willing or able to provide.
Kuddos!
Kudos go out to Judge Irby!!
Thank you for holding this thug accountable for his actions.
Either the prosecutor believes he was the aggressor, for which he should be fully prosecuted, or the prosecutor believes he acted in self defense, for which he should be released. The deal as it was spelled out is a complete joke and an insult to the citizens of Loudoun. It’s a half-arced effort.
Violent crime which this appears to have been should not be overlooked by the prosecutors. What is the point? Should the name of this department be changed to let’s make a deal? Should we we expect our deputies to risk their lives arresting violent people only to see them walk away without even a reasonable recidivistic effort? 🙂
These dopes that vote for soft on crime Democrats that demand defunding the police, legalizing drugs and encouraging looting and rioting, uh, I mean peaceful protests, are going to result in disaster. The Commonwealth’s Attorney is a trainwreck.