In the early morning hours of June 6, 2022, a tragic incident unfolded in an apartment on North Beauregard Street in Alexandria, Virginia, resulting in the death of 24-year-old Hispanic male, Jonathan Cruz Villafuerte. Police responded to reports of shots fired at the Brookdale Apartments around 1:56 a.m. and discovered Jonathan with a gunshot wound to his upper body. Despite efforts by officers and medics to render aid, he was pronounced dead at the scene. This event marked the fourth homicide in the city of Alexandria that year.
The suspect in the fatal shooting was identified as Jonathan's younger brother, Enoc Cruz Villafuerte, who was 22 years old at the time. Enoc was arrested at the apartment and subsequently charged with second-degree murder and the use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. He was held at the William Truesdale Adult Detention Center without bond. The motive for the shooting was initially under investigation.
In February 2023, Enoc Cruz Villafuerte pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and using a firearm in the commission of a felony in Alexandria Circuit Court. According to the statement of facts presented in court, Enoc fatally shot his brother while in a drunken state. He claimed that Jonathan had tried to grab the. 380-caliber rifle that he kept under the sofa where he slept. Enoc told police, "Jonathan tried to grab my gun. I had to do it," and maintained that while the shooting was a mistake, his brother should not have tried to take his weapon. He admitted to being intoxicated and not remembering how many times he fired the gun. As a result of his guilty plea, Enoc Cruz Villafuerte faced a prison sentence of five to 40 years for the murder charge, with an additional mandatory three years for the firearm offense.
