Murder suspect flees to Tajikistan on weekend pass from Virginia mental health facility

Abdulloi Toshpulodzoda, found not guilty by insanity in a 2019 murder, boarded a one-way flight to Tajikistan while on a weekend pass from a Virginia facility.

Murder suspect boards one-way flight to Tajikistan while on weekend pass from Virginia facility

According to jamaica-star.com, a man found not guilty by reason of insanity in a 2019 murder case has fled the United States after leaving a Northern Virginia mental health facility on a weekend pass.

Abdulloi Toshpulodzoda was accused of killing his landlord, Mohammad Hemmatian, in 2019. Investigators found him at the scene covered in blood. He was committed to the Northern Virginia Mental Health Institute in 2022 following a finding of not guilty by reason of insanity.

As recently as June, a judge reaffirmed that Toshpulodzoda "shall not be released from custody and inpatient hospitalization without further order of this court." Despite that ruling, Virginia law permits mental health hospitals to grant committed individuals — including those accused of murder — unsupervised day or weekend passes as part of clinical treatment.

On July 6, while out on a weekend pass, Toshpulodzoda travelled to Dulles Airport and boarded a one-way Turkish Airlines flight to Tajikistan via Istanbul, according to court documents attached to an August 5 motion. A declaration from a Turkish Airlines employee confirmed the ticket, which had been purchased in Toshpulodzoda's name by someone else and included a window seat upgrade.

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

The Commonwealth's Attorney's Office filed the August 5 motion a month after his departure, asking a judge to issue a warrant enforceable beyond Virginia's borders. The office stated it had opposed his release in June on public safety grounds but noted it plays no role in facility decisions outside of court hearings.

"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," the Fairfax County Commonwealth Attorney's office said in a statement. "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."

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

The Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (DBHDS) declined to comment on the specific case, citing federal and state privacy laws. The agency stated that Virginia law allows clinical teams to request graduated privileges for committed individuals as part of treatment, and that such requests must be reviewed and approved by an expert panel based on clinical and public-safety assessments.

Sean Kennedy of Virginians for Safe Communities criticised the handling of the case, saying authorities failed 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.

The original reporting is from FOX 5 DC.

Source: Google News JM — Crime