Image Credit: Fairfax County Police Department 
An illegal alien with a significant criminal history in a Virginia sanctuary county, including a prior murder charge, has been arrested for shooting a man to death just hours after being released from jail, according to reports.
On Wednesday afternoon, the Fairfax County Police Department (FCPD) responded to shots fired at a residence in Reston, VA.
Officers located a deceased adult male inside the home and launched a manhunt for a suspect identified as Marvin Fernando Morales-Ortez, 23.
Incredibly, Morales-Ortez had just been released from jail on Tuesday after Fairfax County prosecutors dropped charges stemming from a Sept. 12 incident in which he allegedly assaulted and injured a man while brandishing a firearm.
FCPD subsequently revealed that an Emergency Custody Order for Morales-Ortez was obtained by Community Services Board clinician immediately following his release, but officers were unable to locate the Salvadoran before the order expired eight hours later.
Prior to Wednesday’s shooting, Morales-Ortez had been charged with at least seven crimes in Fairfax County dating back to 2021.
“Among those charges was a first-degree murder charge in 2021, and he spent a year and a half in jail while he awaited trial. However, it was ultimately determined he was not involved in the murder and charges were dropped — with someone else being convicted in the case, according to the Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney,” WJLA reports.
In the lone instance where Morales-Ortez was found guilty — on a theft charge — he was fined $300 but never paid.
When asked why the most recent charges were dropped this week, a Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office spokesperson stated, “Prosecutors were unable to move forward with the case because the victim told police that they were out of the country and would not be coming to court to cooperate in proceedings. Sadly, without the victim’s necessary testimony, we could not move forward with the case.”
These were the two charges— to include a felony— according to Virginia court documents.
— The DC MD VA Live (@TheDMVLive) December 17, 2025
Suspect was released less than 24 hours before killing a male inside of a Reston home. pic.twitter.com/G0hcpO2RPh
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) slammed Fairfax County officials over sanctuary policies that enabled Morales-Ortez to remain on the loose for years.
“Fairfax County FAILED the victim by refusing to work with ICE and releasing this criminal alien onto Virginia streets instead of safely into ICE custody. If Fairfax County would have simply worked to uphold our nation’s laws, then this tragedy may have never happened,” said an ICE spokesperson in a statement provided to Border Hawk.
An investigation is ongoing.
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