Judge rejects plea deal for child abductor

A Fairfax County judge rejected a plea deal for a child sex offender who attempted to abduct a 4-year-old girl from an Annandale apartment last year, WUSA9 reports.  

On June 15, 2023, a man broke into a ground-floor unit at the Wedgewood Apartments on Little River Turnpike at around 4 a.m. When he dragged the child from her bed to the living room, her screams woke her mother, and he escaped through a window.

Two days later, police arrested Hyrum Baquedano-Rodriguez, 24, after connecting him with fingerprints on the window. He was charged with abduction with intent to defile and burglary with intent to commit rape or kidnapping – felonies that could lead to a life sentence.

Related story: A mother speaks out about the attempted abduction of her daughter

Prosecutors later reduced the charges, eliminating the “intent to defile” charge, according to a story aired by WUSA9 on June 3.

Last month, the Fairfax County prosecutor presented a plea agreement in which Baquedano-Rodriguez would admit guilt to felony abduction and misdemeanor unlawful entry.

Circuit Court Judge Randy Bellows rejected the deal, saying it would endanger the community.

“A criminal justice system that cannot protect a 4-year-old child in such circumstances is a failure,” Bellows stated. “When that defendant has committed a crime of such gravity that it can only be described as posing an existential threat to a child’s life, the only goal of sentencing likely to protect the community is a lengthy period of incarceration.”

Bellows noted that Baquedano-Rodriguez had six prior misdemeanor convictions, including two sex crimes involving children.

At the hearing, the Fairfax County Commonwealth Attorney’s Office defended its decision, saying the case could not rely on the testimony of the young victim.

In a later statement, the Commonwealth Attorney’s Office said: “After consulting with the victim’s family, the Commonwealth determined that the best course of action was to pursue an agreement that would guarantee a period of incarceration, rather than go to trial and take on the substantial risk of acquittal.”

The case will now go to trial with a new judge.