Judge orders mental health exam for man accused of Hybla Valley bus stop murder
Abdul Jalloh, charged with killing Stephanie Minter, will be evaluated by a forensic psychologist ahead of his 2027 trial.
By Anthony Shevchenko ·
A Fairfax County judge has ordered a mental competency evaluation for the man accused of fatally stabbing a Fredericksburg woman at a bus stop in February.
Circuit Court Judge Manuel Capsalis entered the order on Oct. 14 for Abdul Jalloh, 33. The evaluation is a condition of his upcoming trial for the second-degree murder of Stephanie Minter, 41, who died on Feb. 23.
The defense and prosecution agreed to the assessment, with the state covering the costs. Katherine Robinson, a clinical and forensic psychologist based in Gainesville, will conduct the exam. A spokesperson for the Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office described the measure as relatively standard.
The case drew national attention because Jalloh, a native of Sierra Leone, was in the United States without authorization. He had a history of arrests, including incidents involving knives. Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano and Sheriff Stacey Kincaid testified about the case at a U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Subcommittee hearing earlier this year.
Surveillance video from a Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority bus showed Minter and Jalloh boarding at Lukens Lane in Mount Vernon. The two did not interact on camera and both exited at the stop on Richmond Highway and Arlington Drive. The bus driver testified that Minter sat in the shelter while Jalloh stood behind it.
Another bus arrived approximately 10 minutes later and found blood throughout the area. Police arrived around 7 p.m. and found Minter dead at the scene. Fairfax County Police Department officers identified Jalloh as a person of interest based on the footage. A worker at a nearby business recognized his published photo and called authorities, leading to his arrest the following day.
A homicide detective testified that Jalloh claimed Minter asked him to steal beer for them despite never having met. The detective was barred from testifying on whether Jalloh admitted to the killing or described the stabbing. Jalloh is scheduled to stand for a jury trial on Jan. 25, 2027.
