x
Breaking News
More () »

Man, 24, charged in 2 separate Fairfax County homicides

Police said Yohannes Nessibu is facing charges for the back-to-back murders of two 22-year-old Ethiopian Americans in December.

FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. —

A 24-year-old man has been charged in connection with two separate homicides in Fairfax County, police said. 

Yohannes Nessibu is facing charges for the back-to-back murders of two 22-year-old Ethiopian Americans in December, according to Fairfax County police.

RELATED: Police: Deaths of man, woman found dead in Fairfax Co. are linked

On Dec. 22, Henok Yohannes, of Springfield, was found dead inside his home in the 6400 block of Blarney Stone Court with gunshot wounds to his upper body.

The next morning, Kedest Simeneh, also of Springfield, was found dead in a backyard in the 9500 block of Courdwood Court. Simeneh had a gunshot wound to her upper body, according to police. 

Credit: Fairfax County Police Department
Henok Yohannes and Kedest Simeneh

Police determined both murders were related and the victims were associates of Nessibu. 

In March 2017, a grand jury returned indictments for Nessibu for two counts of homicide and two counts of using a firearm, in the commission of a felony.  

Nessibu fled to Ethiopia before being indicted which delayed his trial. Police said that international authorities negotiated to help move along the 2017 indictment.

Nessibu was taken into custody by Ethiopian authorities in February and transferred back to the U.S. on Friday, according to a police report. 

RELATED: 22-year-old man, woman found dead in Fairfax Co.

The Ethiopian Security Service, Federal Police and Attorney General’s Office were all involved in solving the case. 

The U.S. Embassy in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; the FBI Washington Field Office’s Violent Crime Safe Streets Task Force in Northern Virginia and the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs helped extradite Nessibu back to the U.S. 

Police have not said why Nessibu committed the crimes. 

Sign up for the Get Up DC newsletter: Your forecast. Your commute. Your news.

Before You Leave, Check This Out