Suspect arrested in Sterling murder of Arlington man

An Alexandria resident has been arrested and charged with the murders of two people, including an Arlington man.

The Loudoun County Sheriff's Office announced that 18-year-old Marlyn Medrano-Ortiz, a suspected MS-13 member, was arrested in August in Sterling for a double murder and charged with second-degree murder.

Medrano-Ortiz is charged with the August 28 murders of Mijal Conejero-Romera, a 22-year-old Sterling woman, and Diego Alexander Woollett, a 22-year-old Arlington resident, according to a statement from Loudoun Sheriff Mike Chapman.

Chapman said the couple was shot after an apparent altercation in the 21000 block of Ridgetop Circle, near downtown Dulles.

Medrano-Ortiz was arrested Wednesday evening near the Arlington border in the Arlandria neighborhood of Alexandria.

“On October 23, at approximately 6:01 p.m., Alexandria Police Department officers in the 4100 block of Mount Vernon Avenue recognized the suspect from a police report we shared with our partners,” Chapman said. “Thanks to their initiative, they were able to arrest Marlyn Medrano-Ortiz… working with the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Marshals Service.”

Chapman noted in the press release that Medrano-Ortiz is in the United States illegally. Chapman reiterated his opposition to “the lax treatment in this country of individuals who illegally commit crimes against U.S. citizens and others.”

“This remains an ongoing investigation and additional charges will be filed in connection with the deaths of both victims,” the release continued.

Woollett was born in Colombia and immigrated to the United States at the age of 14. He graduated from Washington-Liberty High School in 2022 and entered the workforce as a driver for Amazon. That's how he met Conejero-Romera, his girlfriend, who worked in one of the company's warehouses. Woollett enjoyed playing soccer and had planned to start college in the fall, his mother previously told ARLnow.

Photo via Loudoun County Sheriff's Office/Facebook