Murder accused flees US on weekend pass from Virginia mental health facility

Abdulloi Toshpulodzoda, committed after killing his landlord, boarded a one-way flight to Tajikistan while on a weekend pass from a Northern Virginia facility.

Accused killer boards one-way flight to Tajikistan from Dulles Airport

A man committed to a Northern Virginia mental health facility after killing his landlord boarded a one-way international flight out of the United States while on a weekend pass, fox5dc.com reports, citing an August 5 court document.

Abdulloi Toshpulodzoda had been accused of murdering his landlord in 2019. Investigators arrived at the scene and found him covered in blood. He was subsequently found not guilty by reason of insanity and committed to the Northern Virginia Mental Health Institute in 2022.

In June, a judge reaffirmed that Toshpulodzoda "shall not be released from custody and inpatient hospitalization without further order of this court." Virginia law, however, permits mental health hospitals to grant committed individuals — including those accused of murder — day or weekend passes without an escort.

On July 6, while out on a weekend pass, Toshpulodzoda travelled to Dulles Airport and boarded a one-way flight to Tajikistan via Istanbul. Court documents include a declaration from a Turkish Airlines employee verifying the ticket, which had been purchased by someone else in Toshpulodzoda's name and included a code for a window seat upgrade.

In 2024, he had been allowed to travel to Washington, D.C. to obtain a passport — a move supported at the time by the Commonwealth's Attorney.

A Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson confirmed on Tuesday that Toshpulodzoda entered the U.S. legally in 2009 but violated the terms of his admission. An immigration judge had ordered his removal on June 24, and DHS officials said he self-deported to Tajikistan on July 6.

The Commonwealth's Attorney's Office filed its August 5 motion one month after his departure, asking a judge to issue a warrant enforceable beyond Virginia's borders.

In a statement, the Fairfax County Commonwealth Attorney's office said: "Abdulloi Toshpulodzoda was found by clinicians to be insane at the time he killed Mohammad Hemmatian — a legal finding that means the Commonwealth would be unable to secure a conviction at trial. Following that 2022 finding, prosecutors have opposed his release at annual review hearings, including in June of this year, where a judge ordered that he continue to be confined in a state behavioral health facility. A bench warrant was issued immediately following notice that he had escaped custody, so if he enters the U.S., he will be arrested and brought to Virginia."

The office also noted that while it opposed his release in June on public safety grounds, it plays no role in facility decisions outside of court hearings.

The Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (DBHDS) declined to discuss the specifics of the case, citing federal and state privacy laws. It stated that Virginia law allows clinical teams to request graduated privileges for committed individuals as part of their treatment, subject to review and approval by an expert panel based on clinical and public-safety assessments.

Sean Kennedy of Virginians for Safe Communities criticised authorities for failing to notify the public, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), or the victim's family in a timely manner. The victim's family has declined to speak with the press.

Source: Google News JM — Crime