Guatemalan illegal immigrant charged with murder in stabbing of VA man

The suspect accused of fatally stabbing a Virginia man on Sunday is an illegal immigrant from Guatemala. Anibal Armando Chavarria Muy, 38, has been charged with second-degree murder. He is being held at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center without bail.

This is the second deadly stabbing in Virginia reportedly carried out by a foreign national illegally residing in the United States in recent weeks.

The victim was found dead in his home on March 29 with multiple stab wounds to his upper body. According to Fairfax County investigators, Chavarria Muy and the victim allegedly knew each other. Chavarria Muy fled the scene before police arrived.

Fairfax County has a history of refusing to honor Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainers, which are official requests made to local and state jails to alert ICE before an illegal immigrant suspect is released from custody. The immigration holds are not honored because of the state's sanctuary policies. 

US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) told ABC 7 News that ICE has lodged a detainer against Chavarria Muy with the Fairfax County Sheriff's Office.

"ICE is calling on Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger and Virginia's sanctuary politicians to not release this murderer back into our communities," said Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis. "This incident comes just one month after an innocent woman was murdered by another criminal illegal alien at a bus stop in Spanberger's state. Open-border policies yet again have caused another preventable tragedy."

ABC 7 News reported that Fairfax County Sheriff Stacey Kincaid's Office did not return a request for comment when asked if her office would cooperate with ICE regarding Chavarria Muy, who has a criminal record.

Court filings indicate that Chavarria Muy physically attacked and attempted to strangle a female victim in November 2024. He was charged in Arlington Commonwealth with assault and battery. However, the case was dismissed at the victim's request, who asked for restitution to end the dispute, which Chavarria Muy agreed to.

DHS said that the assailant unlawfully entered the US at an unknown date and time. Last month, a Virginia mother was stabbed to death at a Fairfax County bus stop by alleged suspect Abdul Jalloh, a 32-year-old illegal immigrant from Sierra Leone. He has been charged with second-degree murder and has an extensive previous criminal history.