In a startling development, a man from Virginia who was acquitted of a 2019 murder due to insanity has fled the U.S., boarding a one-way flight to Tajikistan during a sanctioned leave from a state mental health facility, as revealed in court documents.
Abdulloi Toshpulodzoda departed from the Northern Virginia Mental Health Institute (NVMHI) on a 48-hour pass on July 6. Although expected to return two days later, he failed to do so, according to a FOX 5 report citing court documents.
Instead of returning, Toshpulodzoda made his way to Washington Dulles International Airport, where he boarded a Turkish Airlines flight heading to Istanbul, eventually continuing to Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan, as per court records.
“The Acquittee failed to return to NVMHI on July 8, 2026, as required,” states the court filing, highlighting the breach in protocol.
Toshpulodzoda had been under the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services’ supervision since 2022, following his acquittal on insanity grounds for the murder of his landlord, Mohammad Hemmatian, FOX 5 reported.
His departure came shortly after a judge determined he remained mentally ill and needed inpatient treatment.
“On June 29, 2026, this Court found that the Acquittee remained mentally ill and in need of inpatient hospitalization,” court documents state.
Despite that finding, Virginia law allows mental health facilities to grant certain committed patients unaccompanied community visits lasting up to 48 hours, according to FOX 5.
NVMHI authorized Toshpulodzoda to leave on July 6. Court records show he left the approved placement and headed to Dulles instead of returning to the facility.
Airline records attached to the court filing show a Turkish Airlines itinerary from Dulles to Istanbul and then to Dushanbe.
FOX 5 reported that Toshpulodzoda had previously been allowed to travel to Washington, D.C., in 2024 to obtain a passport, with support from the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office.
After Toshpulodzoda failed to return, NVMHI placed him on escape status, revoked his pass and issued a facility warrant.
Virginia State Police and federal authorities were notified, and US Customs and Border Protection issued an alert in case he attempted to return to the United States.
A bench warrant was later issued for his arrest, according to FOX 5.
“Abdulloi Toshpulodzoda was found by clinicians to be insane at the time he killed Mohammad Hemmatian – a legal finding that means the Commonwealth would be unable to secure a conviction at trial,” the Fairfax County Commonwealth Attorney’s office said in a statement.
“Following that 2022 finding, prosecutors have opposed his release at annual review hearings, including in June of this year, where a judge ordered that he continue to be confined in a state behavioral health facility. A bench warrant was issued immediately following notice that he had escaped custody, so if he enters the U.S., he will be arrested and brought to Virginia.”
The Fairfax County Commonwealth Attorney’s office, the Northern Virginia Mental Health Institute and Turkish Airlines could not immediately be reached by Fox News Digital for comment.