An elderly woman was run over and killed by an illegal alien in Virginia, marking the latest deadly crime amidst the ongoing border crisis.
On Sunday, July 28, an El Salvadoran national was accused of grand theft auto during which he ran over a woman with her own car. The fatal carjacking happened in Sterling, Virginia, at a 7-Eleven around 11:39 AM. The victim was Melody Maldecker, a 54-year-old grandmother from Silver Spring, Maryland.
According to a local report that cited scanner audio, the suspect ejected Waldecker from her vehicle and then struck her while fleeing the scene of the crime as she tried to stop him. Law enforcement said the incident was “another reminder” for localities to “collaborate with… federal counterparts” to enforce immigration laws.
The victim’s son said Maldecker was heading home from a nursing home where she visited her mother and stopped at a convenience store to purchase something when she was killed. A statement from the Loudon County Sheriff’s Office said Maldecker was pronounced dead at the scene.
A reporter shared resident surveillance footage online of the stolen vehicle speeding down a nearby street after the incident while a child played outside, screeching loudly and bumping into one of the parked cars.
The suspect was later caught and identified as Jose Aguilar-Martinez, 21, who was taken into custody around 12:17 PM, less than an hour later. He is currently being held without bail and faces charges for felony carjacking and may be facing murder charges. The sheriff’s office confirmed on Wednesday, July 31, that the suspect was an illegal alien from El Salvador.
According to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), where and when Aguilar-Martinez entered the country was unknown, but he was what they call a “gotaway” case. The agency’s Enforcement and Removal Operations immediately placed a detainer on Aguilar-Martinez, meaning upon his release, he is to be turned over to immigration authorities. They said he somehow obtained a driver’s license in California although he did not have a permanent address.
The carjacking marks the second in Virginia over the last two weeks, and the latest deadly crime connected to an illegal alien, which seems to be growing in frequency under the Biden administration.
