The year 2010 brought a serial burglar, a number of homicides, a home invasion- and a hoarder of cats.
Retired Army Officer Charged in Wife, Daughter's Deaths
On a June morning former military officer Kenston Yi walked into DeWitt Army Community Hospital on Fort Belvoir and told the hospital staff that a "tragic event" had taken place at his home on Cardinal Forest Lane in Lorton. Police officers were then dispatched to Yi's residence where they discovered the bodies of Yi's wife, Hyon and daughter, fifteen-year-old Joy Jayhon, a freshman at South County Secondary School. Yi was immediately charged in their murders, which appears to have started as a domestic dispute. Hyon died from a blunt trauma to the head and Joy Jayhon's death was a result of asphyxiation.
Fairfax Man Found Murdered in His Home
A family member discovered the body of 61-year-old Yong S. Yun, a prominent Korean businessman, in October. Yun died from trauma to his upper body, according to homicide investigators. Yun's 2002 Lexus LX470 SUV was stolen from the property. Shortly after his death, the vehicle was discovered in the 4300 block of Americana Drive in Annandale by a police officer.
Earlier this week in Burke, 19 year-old Jahed Ahmad Babi was found dead in Silas Burke Park. Police said Babi died of gunshot wounds to the upper body. Babi was a 2008 graduate of Lake Braddock High School. The exact cause of his death will be determined by the county medical examiner.
Series of Burglaries Plagues Fairfax County
Fairfax County saw 109 reported incidents, more than 60 burglaries or attempted burglaries, linked to one suspect from Aug. 24 through the beginning of November. Fairfax County Police believe Brad K. Edmonds, who was arrested in connection with incidents in Montgomery County, Md., is also connected with the incidents in Fairfax County. Edmonds has been charged with first-degree burglary, two counts of malicious destruction of property under $500, attempted first-degree burglary, _two counts of rogue and vagabond, _two counts of theft between $1,000 and $10,000, theft under $1,000, fourth-degree burglary tools, possession of a firearm after a felony conviction, possession of a stolen firearm and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon in Montgomery County and is being held in Montgomery County Detention Center.
No charges have been filed against him in Fairfax County.
Over 160 Cats Found in Annandale Home
Fairfax County Animal Control rescued 161 cats from an Annandale home on Friday, Nov. 19 and Saturday, Nov. 20. For the last few weeks, the cats have been treated for upper respiratory and eye infections at local veterinary hospitals while under the care of the Fairfax County Animal Shelter. The Friends of the Fairfax County Animal Shelter, a private, non-profit organization that raises money to support the shelter for special case emergencies such as hoarding situations, has been accepting donations both monetary and material for the cats.
The two women, Eleanor Kaufer and Paula Burns, were charged with animal neglect and pled guilty on Thursday, Dec. 9. They will return to court for two additional charges of cruelty to animals and having unsanitary conditions. Both Kaufer and Burns were ordered to pay a number of fines and will receive unscheduled inspections for the next 24 months.
Burke Area "Speed Bump Murder" Not Actually About Speed Bump
In September, air traffic controller Stephen Carr was found dead with an apparent gunshot wound to the upper body at his home in Springfield near Burke. David Patton, who lived only a few streets away, was charged with the murder, with eyewitness reports from Carr's girlfriend putting him at the scene. She charged in the preliminary hearing for the case that Patton came into the house with a gun while the couple was watching the Redskins game, ordered them both on the floor, and shot Carr in a scuffle that ensued between the two men. A previous incident in which Patton was charged with assaulting Carr in June was about to go to trial mere days after the attack.
Media headlines initially reported that this disagreement was over a speed bump Carr had worked to get installed in front of his house, but later information seems to indicate that may not be true. The trial date is set for February.
Pet Fox Confiscated in Reston Town Center
A woman at Reston Town Center got her pet fox briefly confiscated by Fairfax County Police on Halloween. She was walking the leashed fox, who was clad in a skeleton costume, and officials were concerned she did not have the proper permits. It turned out there was no crime committed.
Grandmother Throws 2-year-old Off Walkway
A 2-year-old died after her grandmother allegedly threw her off a six-story walkway. Police say that Carmela Dela Rosa, of Fairfax, was walking to a parking garage with the Falls Church child and other family members when she suddenly threw Ogdoc over the edge of the walkway.
In an apparently random killing, a college student was stabbed and left to die in a ditch just off Route 50. Nineteen-year-old Vanessa Pham, of Falls Church, had just completed her freshman year at the Savannah College of Art and Design and hoped to become a fashion designer when she finished school. She had no known enemies and was last seen alive at a nail salon on Gallows Road in Falls Church.
Centreville High School Teacher Arrested for Indecent Liberties With Student
Fairfax County police arrested a Centreville High School social studies teacher on charges of indecent liberties with a student. Brian White, 32, of Haymarket, is being held without bond at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center, on four counts of indecent liberties with a child by a person in a supervisory position. The incidents are alleged to have taken place in 2007-2008.
The victim was 16 years old when the alleged incidents took place, police said.
Handyman Murdered While Trying to Protect Family During Home Invasion
Two gunmen murdered a heroic handyman during a home invasion in Centreville last May. Jose Rosales, 39, put up a fight to protect the family he worked for, after the two armed men broke into the family's garage. One of the men then shot and killed him.
