Recently, Tinayia Henderson expressed her sorrow over the tragic deaths of her friend Mijal Conejero-Romera, 22, and Mijal’s boyfriend, Diego Alexander Woollett, 22, who were both killed.
“She didn’t deserve this,” Mijal’s best friend, Tinayia Henderson, said in a Tuesday report from Washington, D.C., CBS affiliate WUSA about the unsolved Aug. 28 murders. “It hurts knowing every day that there’s no answer for her. There’s no answer for Diego.”
Deputies in Loudoun County, Virginia, have recently revealed those answers. On Wednesday at around 6:01 p.m., officers from the Alexandria Police Department identified 18-year-old Marlyn Medrano-Ortiz on the 4100 block of Mt. Vernon Avenue.
He was identified from a law enforcement bulletin as the suspect in the double homicide, leading to his arrest. He faces second-degree murder charges along with firearm-related offenses, and deputies indicate that additional charges are forthcoming.
Officials have confirmed that Medrano-Ortiz is associated with the gang known as MS-13.
“This continues to be an ongoing investigation, and additional charges related to the death of both victims will be forthcoming,” Loudoun County Sheriff Mike Chapman wrote.
On August 28 at 4:33 a.m., deputies arrived at the scene of a shooting in the parking lot of an apartment complex located in the 21000 block of Ridgetop Circle in Sterling, a community in the D.C. area.
“They found two people suffering from gunshot wounds, and both individuals were transported to a local hospital where they were pronounced deceased,” investigators said. “They will not be identified until the next of kin have been notified.”
The victims were quickly identified as Conejero-Romera and Woollett.
A lengthy search began for the individual behind this incident.
Henderson reported receiving her last text at approximately 8 p.m. on the evening of Aug. 27, just hours before the tragic event occurred. Mijal inquired about her well-being.