An El Salvadoran man accused of killing a Virginia woman during a weekend carjacking was living in the United States illegally, immigration authorities said.
Jose Aguilar-Martinez, 21, is charged in the fatal Sunday encounter that resulted in the death of 54-year-old Melody Waldecker, a grandmother, FOX 5 DC reported.
Responding deputies with the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office were called around 11:30 a.m. and found Waldecker dead at the scene.
Investigators determined she was struck by her own vehicle as the suspected carjacker fled the scene.
Aguilar-Martinez was found and arrested about 45 minutes later. He was taken to a local hospital after appearing to have an unrelated medical condition, the news outlet reported.
Aguilar-Martinez entered the U.S. as a “gotaway” at an unknown date and location, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) told Fox News.
ICE has placed a detainer request for him to be handed over to immigration authorities upon his release from local custody.
Some so-called “sanctuary” cities and counties routinely ignore such requests and release illegal immigrants accused of crimes onto the streets.