A Virginia mother whose daughter was fatally stabbed at a bus stop is working to remove the county’s top prosecutor after learning the accused killer had been arrested more than 30 times before the attack.
“Stephanie should be alive today,” Cheryl Minter wrote in a petition seeking the removal of Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano. “I had to do what no parent should ever have to. I had to bury my daughter.”
Stephanie Minter, 41, was discovered with multiple stab wounds inside a bus shelter in Hybla Valley on Feb. 23, according to Fairfax County police. Abdul Jalloh, 32, has been charged with second-degree murder. He has not been convicted in connection with her death.
“She was an amazingly strong woman, amazingly strong, and happy and brought brightness and joy to so many people,” Cheryl Minter told News Media.
Abdul Jalloh, 32, is accused of killing Stephanie Minter, 41, at a bus stop in Virginia. (Fox 5 DC)
The Department of Homeland Security says Jalloh, a Sierra Leone national who entered the United States illegally in 2012, had been arrested more than 30 times. His prior charges included rape, malicious wounding, assault and theft, DHS said.
“I was shocked. I mean, literally in shock,” Cheryl Minter said when asked about his criminal record. “And then this man who’s killed her, just is let off like it’s nothing. Like it’s nothing.”
In her petition, Cheryl Minter attributed what she described as a preventable death to decisions made by Descano.
“Thirty times the system had a chance to stop him. Thirty times,” she wrote. “I think about that every single day.”
Cheryl questioned why Jalloh was released after an arrest she remembered occurring during the winter before Stephanie was killed. The details of that case, including who authorized the release, have not been independently confirmed.
“When you let these people back out on the streets, they’re not gonna stop. Why would they stop?” she said.
Cheryl Minter also criticized Descano’s 2020 plea-bargaining policy, which advised prosecutors to “consider immigration consequences where possible” and assess how charges might affect a defendant’s immigration status, WTOP reported. The outlet said in May that the webpage outlining the policy was no longer available on Descano’s office website. Minter contends that prosecutors should prioritize public safety.
The policy is now facing federal scrutiny. The Justice Department announced in May that it was investigating whether Descano’s office provided preferential treatment in charging decisions and plea agreements to defendants who are in the country illegally rather than U.S. citizens. The department said it had reached no conclusions. The investigation does not establish how Jalloh’s previous cases were handled.
Descano defended the policy after being notified of the investigation.
“My policies are fair, legal, and reflect the values of my community,” he wrote in a post on X.
Cheryl Minter said her petition is primarily intended to push for changes in Fairfax County and elsewhere. She also wants Descano removed from office.
Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Stephen Descano, center, listens to testimony during a hearing before a House Judiciary Subcommittee. (Tom Williams/CQ via Getty Images)
“I think, first and foremost, is the change,” she said. “Second would be, I would love to see Descano out.”
Jennifer Harrison, executive director of the Victims’ Rights Reform Council, helped Minter launch the Change.org petition. Minter acknowledged that an online petition cannot remove Descano on its own, but she hopes it will bring greater scrutiny to his office.
Congress is also seeking answers from Descano. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, subpoenaed him on Sept. 16 as part of an investigation into whether prosecutors provide preferential treatment to criminal suspects based on their immigration status.
Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, during a hearing with the House Judiciary Committee in the Rayburn House Office Building on Sept. 3, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
Jordan set a Sept. 25 deadline after accusing Descano’s office of failing to fully comply with earlier requests.
In a previous statement to News Media, Descano’s office called the subpoena a “needless escalation” and accused the committee of waging a “partisan siege” against Fairfax County. It said the office had turned over more than 1,100 pages of documents, that Descano had voluntarily testified and that it would continue to respond to legitimate inquiries while working to keep the county safe.
The office has separately said it is prosecuting Jalloh for Stephanie’s murder with a trial scheduled for January 2027 and cannot comment further on the pending case.
Fairfax County police said Jalloh was arrested after an employee at a local business recognized him and called authorities the day after Stephanie Minter was killed. He was held without bond.
ICE lodged a detainer on Feb. 25 after Jalloh was in custody, asking to be notified before his release, according to DHS. The agency said it had also lodged a detainer against him in 2020 and that an immigration judge later ordered him removed to a country other than Sierra Leone.
Cheryl Minter said employees of Descano’s office working on her daughter’s murder case have been “wonderful with me.” She said her criticism is aimed at the decisions she believes left a repeat offender free.
“I want people never to stop talking about it,” she said. “I just don’t want the talk to stop, and I’ll do whatever to keep it going.”
“Stephanie cannot speak for herself anymore. So I am,” she wrote in the petition.
News Media reached out to Descano’s office for comment on Cheryl Minter’s allegations and petition.