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A Fairfax County, Va., Circuit Court judge on July 26 handed down a sentence of 28 years in prison for a 31-year-old man convicted by a jury of second-degree murder for the June 10, 2023, stabbing death of a Fairfax City man after the man propositioned him for sex.
At a sentencing hearing Judge Michael Devine sentenced Fairfax County resident Aaron Robertson to 40 years in prison but suspended 12 years, requiring Robertson to serve a total of 28 years. The judge included in the sentence a requirement that Robertson serve 10 years on probation after his release from jail.
A statement released by the Fairfax County Commonwealth Attorney’s Office at the time of Robertson’s conviction on May 9 said Robertson had been charged with killing Luis Barahona Reyes, 50, in an apparent act of revenge after the two men got off a bus in Fairfax City and Barahona Reyes asked Robertson if he would like to engage in sex.
“Robertson and Mr. Barahona Reyes were unknown to each other when they got off the same bus on Draper Street in Fairfax City around 11 p.m. on the night of June 9, 2023,” the statement said. “After a brief conversation, Robertson lured Mr. Barahona Reyes to a parking lot behind 9715 Fairfax Blvd., where Robertson knocked the victim unconscious,” according to the statement.
“Roberson later returned to the scene in the early morning hours of June 10, where he proceeded to beat, stab, and eventually kill Mr. Barahona Reyes,” the statement continues. “Robertson then left and returned a third time to clean up the scene and try to dispose of the victim’s body.”
The statement adds, “Substantial forensic evidence introduced at trial connected Robertson to the murder, including the victim’s blood on his shoes and Robertson’s own DNA under the victim’s fingernails.”
Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano said in the statement that he was “personally dismayed that this type of crime could happen in this day and age, especially in a community like Fairfax County that prides itself on being welcoming.” Descano added, “Mr. Barahona Reyes’ death is tragic, and the fact that he may have been killed for his sexuality only further adds to the injustice.”
Laura Birnbaum, a spokesperson for the Commonwealth Attorney’s Office, said under Virginia law, the sentencing range for a second-degree murder conviction is between five to 40 years.
“So, this is a very strong sentence,” she added.
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