Virginia patient acquitted of murder flees US on authorized mental-health pass
A man found not guilty by reason of insanity for a 2019 killing left a Virginia mental-health facility on a court-approved 48-hour pass and escaped to Tajikistan.
Abdulloi Toshpulodzoda, acquitted by reason of insanity for the 2019 murder of landlord Mohammad Hemmatian, was under the custody of the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services. On July 6, the Northern Virginia Mental Health Institute authorized him a 48-hour unaccompanied community visit, which required his return by July 8. He did not come back; airline records show he traveled from Washington Dulles to Istanbul and then to Dushanbe, Tajikistan.
Following his disappearance, the institute declared him escaped, revoked his pass, and a facility warrant was issued. Virginia State Police, federal authorities, and U.S. Customs issued alerts, and a bench warrant was filed for his arrest should he re-enter the United States. The Fairfax County Commonwealth Attorney’s office reiterated that prosecutors have opposed his release at annual reviews.
Why it matters
The case highlights gaps in monitoring high-risk patients granted temporary community leave from psychiatric facilities.
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