Article

1989

Events that took place in Fairfax County in 1989:

• The Gunston Plaza shopping center is built.

January

• January 20 – Taking advantage of a power failure, prisoners at the Lorton Reformatory set several fires at the prison. 26-year-old prisoner Andre Drake is fatally stabbed in the ensuing riot.^[1][2]
• January 23 – An 8-year-old boy deliberately shoots his 6-year-old sister in the head with a .32 caliber revolver, mortally wounding her, in the bedroom of their grandmother's townhouse in Franconia.^[3]

February

• The charter for the town of Wiehle is revoked by the Virginia General Assembly.
• February 4 – 45-year-old Marilyn V. Warga is shot to death by her estranged husband, 47-year-old Ronald B. Moore, who then commits suicide in his rented house at 6539 Renwood Lane in Annandale.^[4][5][6]
• February 18 – 21-year-old Timothy W. Easley is stabbed to death in Centreville. Fairfax County Police investigator Thomas J. Lyons concludes the death is a suicide, but four years later it is proven that Easley's girfriend Candy A. Wharton had in fact stabbed him.^[7][8]
• February 21 – 16-year-old Scott Foster is killed when he loses control of his 1976 Chevrolet and crashes head-on into a pickup truck on Fox Mill Road in Oakton.^[9]

March

• March 8 – 44-year-old Sandra C. Ferguson is shot to death in the parking lot of Saint James' Episcopal Church at 5614 Old Mill Road in Alexandria by Gary Donahue.^[10][11]
• March 9 – Thomas A. Edison High School principal Anthony M. Rizzo, Jr. is fired by the Fairfax County Public Schools system following allegations of sexual harassment from seven teachers and another administrator.^[12]
• March 11 – 18-year-old Roger A. Taylor, Jr. comes home and is handed a knife by his father, 44-year-old Roger, Sr., who tells his son to kill the elder Taylor's wife, 44-year-old Carolyn U. Taylor. The younger Taylor follows his stepmother to the laundry room of the family home at 13426 Moore Road in Centreville, where he stabs her to death.^[13][14]
• March 13 – 18-year-old Azuna G. Vilma is struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver on Arlington Boulevard near Wayne Road in Falls Church. She is then struck by three other drivers.^[15]

April

• April 2 – 18-year-old Eric J. Sweigart rapes and murders 15-year-old Jennifer Ann Weller near the Montebello Apartments in Huntington.^[16][17]
• April 9 – 46-year-old Jose I. Bonilla is stabbed to death by Jose Zetina Romero in a laundry room in the Culmore area of Falls Church.^[18]

May

• May 9 – 42-year-old Marc A. Friedlander is found guilty of murdering his estranged wife Zitta in the Mitre Corporation parking lot in McLean on July 5, 1988.^[19]
• May 18 – 48-year-old Norman Viands hangs himself in the showers at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center.^[20]
• May 21 – Following complaints of odors, employees of the Alexandria Motel find the decomposed body of 27-year-old Deirdre Smith under the floorboards of one of the rooms.^[21]
• May 23 – 42-year-old John D. McMillan fatally shoots his estranged 23-year-old wife Sandra at his home at 2608 Ogden Street in Falls Church. Sandra McMillan is taken to Fairfax Hospital, where she dies about two hours later. John McMillan is discovered dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in the house later that evening.^[22]

June

• June 19 – 18-year-old Roger A. Taylor, Jr. pleads guilty to first-degree murder for stabbing his stepmother Carolyn in the laundry room of the family home in Centreville on March 11.^[23]
• June 30 – Following a fight, 17-year-old Jeffrey Agee is shot to death by 26-year-old Mark A. Dixon in Reston.^[24]

July

• July 2 – 10-year-old Rosie Gordon is kidnapped while walking home from a friend's house in the Lake Braddock neighborhood of Burke. Her suffocated corpse is found two days later about five miles away on Bentonbrook Drive in the Brecon Ridge Woods neighborhood of Fairfax.^[25][26]
• July 19 – 45-year-old Roger A. Taylor, Sr. is convicted of first-degree murder for instigating the stabbing of his wife Carolyn by his son Roger, Jr. on March 11.^[27]
• July 21 – When she refuses to give him money to repay his friend for a prostitute he'd hired earlier in the evening, 24-year-old Debra Stallings is murdered by her husband, Ricky, who stabs her over 80 times at her house at 3929 San Leandro Place in Alexandria.^[28]
• July 31 – Eugene Turley is convicted of first-degree murder for the December 6, 1988 murder of Dorothy A. Peterson over a $75 drug debt.^[29]
• July 31 – 24-year-old Victor A. Santizo is found beaten to death at the intersection of Interstate 66 and the Fairfax County Parkway in Fairfax.^[30][31]

August

• August 11 – 37-year-old Gary Donahue is convicted of the March 8 murder of Sandra C. Ferguson in the parking lot of the Saint James' Episcopal Church in Alexandria.^[11]
• August 17 – 20-year-old Joseph D. Bowler, Jr. is shot to death in the parking lot of the Rosedale Manor Apartments in Bailey's Crossroads by 18-year-old Carlton Eley.^[32][33]

September

• September 1 – Roger A. Taylor, Jr. is sentenced to 25 years in prison by Judge J. Howe Brown for the March 11 murder of his stepmother, Carolyn U. Taylor.
• September 9 – 18-year-old clerk Vinay K. Bhatia is stabbed to death by Raheem Abdul Muhammad during a botched robbery at the Hess gas station on Route 1 in the Hybla Valley area of Alexandria.^[34][35]
• September 15 – Eugene Turley is sentenced by Judge Jack B. Stevens to life in prison plus 2 years for the murder of Dorothy A. Peterson.^[36]
• September 26 – 19-year-old Eric J. Sweigart pleads guilty to rape and first-degree murder for killing 15-year-old Jennifer A. Weller on April 2.^[37]

October

• October 5 – While his bus is stuck in traffic on Interstate 66, 12-year-old Longfellow Intermediate School seventh grader Stephen T. Carmichael suffers a cardiac arrest and is trapped for 25 minutes before he can be taken to an emergency clinic. He dies that afternoon.^[38]
• October 13 – 34-year-old Saba Tekle is shot to death outside her door in the Orleans Village Apartments in Alexandria by 17-year-old Dwayne A. Wright.^[39][40]
• October 20 – A trash fire forces the evacuation of thousands of people from Springfield Mall in Springfield.^[41]

November

• November 20 – In a 7-2 vote, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approves a scheme to sell $330 million in revenue bonds to finance the construction of the Fairfax County Parkway.^[42]
• November 21 – 46-year-old Lorraine A. Harrison fatally shoots herself in the recycling area of the Ellanor C. Lawrence Park in Chantilly.^[43][44]
• November 21 – 56-year-old Nhan Trong Do is shot to death in his car outside his basement apartment at 3217 Apex Circle in Seven Corners. Do's corpse is discovered the following morning.^[45]
• November 27 – Jerry Lee Dunbar pleads guilty to strangling Deirdre Smith in his Alexandria motel room in April.^[46]
• November 27 – Mark H. Dixon is convicted of murder for the June shooting of Jeffrey Agee in Reston.^[47]

December

• December 9 – A small fire causes the evacuation of the Springfield Mall in Springfield.^[48]
• December 14 – 14-year-old Herndon High School student Natalie Ney suffers a severe allergic reaction to something in a piece of candy given to her by a friend and dies a few hours later at the Reston Hospital Center of an acute asthma attack.^[49]
• December 22 – 13-year-old Monica Roman is shot to death in the bedroom of her family's home in Reston by her 19-year-old half-brother Frederick Diaz.^[50][51]
• December 29 – 22-year-old Scott A. Carter is killed in near the intersection of Braddock Road and Prestwick drive in Fairfax when he loses control of his 1980 Saab and runs off the right side of the road, striking a tree.^[52]
• December 29 – 22-year-old Michael V. Pohlman is killed in near the intersection of Braddock Road and Prestwick drive in Fairfax when he loses control of his 1985 Mustang and runs off the left side of the road, striking a tree.^[52]
• December 29 – 52-year-old Shirley A. Blankenship is struck and killed by a car as she walks down Ox Road in Lorton.^[53]

Crime

There were 28 murders or other homicides in Fairfax County in 1989.^[54]

67 people were killed in 60 traffic crashes in Fairfax County in 1989. 25 of those crashes involved alcohol.

References

1. ↑ Associated Press. "1 Killed During Fire at Lorton." Daily Press Jan 22 1989, p. B5. ProQuest. Web. 7 July 2018 .
2. ↑ Horwitz, Sari, and John Ward Anderson. "D.C., Fairfax Accounts of Lorton Uprising Differ." The Washington Post (1974-Current file), Jan 22 1989, p. 2. ProQuest. Web. 7 July 2018.
3. ↑ Baker, Peter, and Patricia Davis. "Va. Boy, 8, Fatally Shoots His Sister, 6." The Washington Post (1974-Current file): 2. Jan 24 1989. ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The Washington Post (1877-1996). Web. 18 Feb. 2013.
4. ↑ "Couple found Slain in Annandale." The Washington Post (pre-1997 Fulltext): 0. Feb 05 1989. ProQuest. Web. 3 Dec. 2014.
5. ↑ "Slain Woman Identified." The Washington Post (pre-1997 Fulltext): 0. Feb 06 1989. ProQuest. Web. 3 Dec. 2014.
6. ↑ "Body Identified in Va." The Washington Post (pre-1997 Fulltext): 0. Feb 08 1989. ProQuest. Web. 3 Dec. 2014.
7. ↑ Stencel, Mark. "Stabbing Victim's Mother Refused to Hear 'Case Closed'." The Washington Post (1974-Current file): 2. Oct 25 1993. ProQuest. Web. 22 Sep. 2014.
8. ↑ Stencel, Mark. "Woman found Guilty in 1989 Slaying of Boyfriend in Fairfax." The Washington Post (pre-1997 Fulltext): 0. Dec 03 1993. ProQuest. Web. 22 Sep. 2014.
9. ↑ "Fairfax County Youth Killed in Head-on Collision." The Washington Post (1974-Current file): 1. Feb 22 1989. ProQuest. Web. 29 July 2014.
10. ↑ Davis, Patricia. "Mother Slain in Fairfax; Body in Church Lot was Shot 8 Times." The Washington Post (pre-1997 Fulltext): 0. Mar 10 1989. ProQuest. Web. 16 Aug. 2014.
11. ↑ ^{11.0 11.1} Davis, Patricia. "Va. Neighbor Convicted in Woman's Death;Mount Vernon Victim had Stopped to Help." The Washington Post (pre-1997 Fulltext): 0. Aug 12 1989. ProQuest. Web. 16 Aug. 2014.
12. ↑ Davis, Patricia. "Principal Fired for Harassment Draws Disability." Washington Post. The Washington Post, 22 Feb. 1999. Web. 24 Oct. 2012.
13. ↑ "Va. Man Charged in Death of Stepmother." The Washington Post (pre-1997 Fulltext): c.03. National Newspapers Core. Mar 15 1989. Web. 12 Mar. 2012.
14. ↑ "Murderer Sentenced." The Washington Post (pre-1997 Fulltext): b.07. National Newspapers Core. Sep 02 1989. Web. 12 Mar. 2012.
15. ↑ "Crime & Justice" The Washington Post (1974-Current file): 2. Mar 23 1989.ProQuest. Web. 27 July 2016 .
16. ↑ Digilio, Alice. "Huntington Man Charged in Slaying of Girl, 15." The Washington Post (1974-Current file): 1. Apr 04 1989. ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The Washington Post (1877-1996). Web. 18 Feb. 2013.
17. ↑ "Guilty Plea in Va. Rape." The Washington Post (pre-1997 Fulltext): 0. Sep 27 1989. National Newspapers Core. Web. 18 Feb. 2013.
18. ↑ "Calif. Man Convicted in 1989 Fairfax Killing." The Washington Post: 0. Feb 05 1998. ProQuest. Web. 12 May 2014.
19. ↑ Davis, Patricia. "Jury Finds Friedlander Guilty in Wife's Death." The Washington Post (1974-Current file): 1. May 10 1989. ProQuest. Web. 5 June 2014.
20. ↑ "Fairfax Inmate Hangs Himself." The Washington Post (pre-1997 Fulltext): c.11. National Newspapers Core. May 19 1989. Web. 7 Jan. 2012.
21. ↑ "Body found in Va. Motel; Man Charged." The Washington Post (1974-Current file): B3. ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The Washington Post (1877-1994). Jun 09 1989. Web. 2 Feb. 2012.
22. ↑ "Crime Watch." The Washington Post (1974-Current file): 1. Jun 01 1989.ProQuest. Web. 27 July 2016.
23. ↑ Davis, Patricia. "Va. Man Pleads Guilty in Slaying of Stepmother." The Washington Post. WP Company, 20 June 1989. Web. 10 Mar. 2017.
24. ↑ "Reston Youth Killed." The Washington Post (pre-1997 Fulltext): b.04. National Newspapers Core. Jul 01 1989. Web. 14 Feb. 2012.
25. ↑ Evans, Sandra, and Matt Lait. "Missing Fairfax 10-Year-Old is found Dead;Residents Who Mobilized Massive Search Now Gripped with Fear." The Washington Post (pre-1997 Fulltext): 0. Jul 05 1989. ProQuest. Web. 5 June 2014.
26. ↑ Davis, Patricia. "Slain Lake Braddock Girl, 10, was Suffocated, Autopsy Finds;Worried Neighbors Keep an Eye on Children." The Washington Post (pre-1997 Fulltext): 0. Jul 06 1989. ProQuest. Web. 5 June 2014.
27. ↑ Richardson, Lynda. "Fairfax Man found Guilty of Instigating Wife's Murder." The Washington Post (1974-Current file): 1. Jul 20 1989. ProQuest. Web. 2 July 2014.
28. ↑ Brown, DeNeen L. "Young Wife Kept Faith --and Lost Her Life." The Washington Post (1974-Current file): 2. Feb 01 1990. ProQuest. Web. 26 July 2016 .
29. ↑ Brown, DeNeen L. "Teen Guilty in Va. Murder Over a $75 Cocaine Debt." The Washington Post (1974-Current file): B1. ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The Washington Post (1877-1994). Aug 01 1989. Web. 16 Jan. 2012.
30. ↑ "Crime Watch: Fairfax County." The Washington Post (1974-Current file): 2. Aug 10 1989. ProQuest. Web. 15 Feb. 2017.
31. ↑ "Crime Watch: Montgomery County." The Washington Post (1974-Current file): 2. Aug 17 1989. ProQuest. Web. 15 Feb. 2017.
32. ↑ Brown, DeNeen L. "SE Man's Death Came Violently, as Expected." The Washington Post: 0. Aug 27 1989. ProQuest. Web. 5 June 2014.
33. ↑ Brown, DeNeen L. "Fear of Jury Vengeance Leads to 10-Year Term." The Washington Post (1974-Current file): 1. Dec 19 1989. ProQuest. Web. 5 June 2014.
34. ↑ "Fairfax Man is Slain." The Washington Post (pre-1997 Fulltext): 0. Sep 11 1989. ProQuest. Web. 6 June 2014 .
35. ↑ Brown, DeNeen L. "Va. Man Convicted in Fairfax Slaying." The Washington Post (1974-Current file): 1. Jan 30 1990. ProQuest. Web. 6 June 2014.
36. ↑ "Around the Region:Youth Gets Life in Va. Slaying" The Washington Post (1974-Current file): B5. ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The Washington Post (1877-1994). Sep 16 1989. Web. 16 Jan. 2012.
37. ↑ "Guilty Plea in Va. Rape." The Washington Post (pre-1997 Fulltext): d04. Sep 27 1989. ProQuest. Web. 4 Feb. 2018.
38. ↑ Baker, Peter. "Stricken Student's Family Takes Steps to Save Others." The Washington Post (1974-Current file): 2. Oct 13 1989. ProQuest. Web. 1 June 2014.
39. ↑ Richardson, Lynda. "Family Mourns Va. Woman Slain on Her Own Doorstep." The Washington Post (1974-Current file): 1. Oct 15 1989. ProQuest. Web. 20 Aug. 2014.
40. ↑ Thomas-Lester, Avis. "19-Year-Old Sentenced to Va. Electric Chair." The Washington Post (1974-Current file): 2. Nov 17 1991. ProQuest. Web. 20 Aug. 2014.
41. ↑ "5,000 Shoppers Evacuated in Fire at Springfield Mall." The Washington Post (pre-1997 Fulltext): 0. Oct 21 1989. ProQuest. Web. 18 Aug. 2014.
42. ↑ John, Ward A. "Fairfax to use Bonds to Pay for Parkway;Cross-County Road to be Finished in '94." The Washington Post (pre-1997 Fulltext): 0. Nov 21 1989. ProQuest. Web. 26 May 2014.
43. ↑ "Around the Region:Centreville Woman Slain." The Washington Post (1974-Current file): B7. ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The Washington Post (1877-1995). Nov 22 1989. Web. 19 Feb. 2012.
44. ↑ "Fairfax Death Called Suicide." The Washington Post (1974-Current file): B4A. ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The Washington Post (1877-1995). Jan 13 1990. Web. 19 Feb. 2012.
45. ↑ Davis, Patricia, and Evelyn Hsu. "Vietnamese Immigrant Slain in Fairfax." The Washington Post (1974-Current file): 2. Nov 23 1989. ProQuest. Web. 5 June 2014.
46. ↑ Davis, Patricia. "MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO SLAYING AT VA. MOTEL."Washington Post. The Washington Post, 28 Nov. 1989. Web. 16 May 2016.
47. ↑ "Reston Murder Verdict." The Washington Post (pre-1997 Fulltext): e05. Nov 28 1989. ProQuest. Web. 28 June 2016 .
48. ↑ "Fire Empties Springfield Mall." The Washington Post (pre-1997 Fulltext): 0. Dec 11 1989. ProQuest. Web. 18 Aug. 2014 .
49. ↑ Baker, Peter. "Herndon Mourns Girl Killed by Asthma Attack." The Washington Post (1974-Current file): B1. ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The Washington Post (1877-1995). Dec 19 1989. Web. 22 Mar. 2012.
50. ↑ "Reston Girl, 13, is Shot to Death." The Washington Post (pre-1997 Fulltext): b03. Dec 24 1989. ProQuest. Web. 23 July 2016 .
51. ↑ "N.Va. Man Charged in Fatal Shooting of Half Sister, 13." The Washington Post (pre-1997 Fulltext): c02. Dec 26 1989. ProQuest. Web. 23 July 2016 .
52. ↑ ^{52.0 52.1} "Around the Region:Separate Crashes Kill 2 Drivers at Same Fairfax Site." The Washington Post (1974-Current file): E2. ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The Washington Post (1877-1995). Dec 30 1989. Web. 11 Mar. 2012.
53. ↑ "Around the Region: 52-Year-Old Pedestrian Killed on Ox Road in Lorton." The Washington Post (1974-Current file): B2. ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The Washington Post (1877-1995). Dec 31 1989. Web. 8 Feb. 2012/
54. ↑ "Major crimes drop in Fairfax" The Washington Times, 14 Feb. 1990, 2, B METROPOLITAN LOCAL ROUNDUP VIRGINIA, p. B2. NewsBank. Accessed 19 Jan. 2018.

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Fairfax County by Year
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