In the early hours of a Monday morning, a tragic and violent encounter unfolded in a shopping center parking lot in Manassas, Virginia, culminating in the death of 37-year-old Richard Del Cid of Woodbridge. The incident, which occurred on March 20, 2023, was not a random act of violence but rather the grim conclusion to an ongoing dispute.
On that fateful morning, Richard Del Cid, also known as Ricardo, had arranged to meet a female acquaintance in the parking lot of the Hoadly Market Place to exchange some documents. Shortly after 1:00 AM, as they were situated in a vehicle, another man arrived on the scene. This man, later identified as 46-year-old Mauricio Antonio Mayorga, approached the passenger side of Del Cid's car and fired multiple gunshots, inflicting fatal injuries. When police responded to a distressed 911 call from the woman, they found Del Cid suffering from gunshot wounds; he was pronounced dead at the scene.
The investigation quickly revealed that all three individuals were known to each other and that the shooting was the result of an ongoing conflict between Del Cid, Mayorga, and the woman, who was married to Mayorga. Security footage from the scene captured Mayorga approaching Del Cid's vehicle and opening fire. Following the investigation, authorities identified Mayorga as the suspect. Interestingly, Mayorga had already turned himself in to the police on an unrelated outstanding warrant from another jurisdiction. While incarcerated at the Arlington County Detention Center on this separate matter, he was served with warrants for the murder of Richard Del Cid.
Mauricio Antonio Mayorga was charged with murder and the use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. In July 2024, he pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of second-degree murder. Subsequently, in November 2024, a judge sentenced him to 22 years in prison for the killing. The Commonwealth's Attorney noted that the resolution of the case through a guilty plea spared the victim's family the ordeal of a trial.
