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A 39-year-old man will serve 20 years in prison followed by 25 years probation in connection with a November murder in the parking lot of the Promenade at Manassas.
Zahir Abdul-Rahman Mujahid, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty in March to second-degree murder in the Nov. 23 shooting death of 45-year-old Horace Roy Johnson III, also of no fixed address.
On Thursday, Prince William County Circuit Court Judge Carroll A. Weimer sentenced Mujahid to a 40-year prison term with 19 years and four months suspended, Prince William County Commonwealth Attorney Amy Ashworth’s office said in a news release. Upon release, he will be placed on supervised probation for 25 years.
At 9:09 p.m. the night of the murder, police responded to the area of Stream Walk Lane near Balls Ford Road for a report of a shooting.
“Upon arrival, officers observed an adult male gunshot victim, several spent shell casings consistent with pistol-caliber ammunition near the body, and a pair of very distinctive red glasses on the ground known to be worn by Zahir Abdul-Rahman Mujahid,” the release said.
Through canvassing and investigation, detectives learned there had been a physical altercation between multiple individuals, including Mujahid.
After the fight ended, “Mujahid drew a firearm from his waistband and shot the victim, later identified as Horace Roy Johnson III, multiple times,” Ashworth’s release said.
Detectives quickly obtained arrest warrants, and subsequent interviews of multiple individuals further implicated the defendant, the release said.
“We are incredibly grateful for the hard work of the detective and police officers involved in this investigation and for the cooperation of good people that helped us to secure a conviction in this case,” Ashworth said in the release. “Justice is only possible when people are willing to come forward and speak the truth. The victim of this senseless murder, known as ‘Mann’ to his family and friends, will be missed terribly by those who loved him.”
