City of Fairfax police say a 63-year-old city resident, William Hays O’Brien, has succumbed to injuries sustained April 16 when he was assaulted in a shopping-center parking lot. Although a suspect was charged in connection with the assault, he’s currently free on bond pending trial.
The incident occurred around 11:20 a.m. in the parking lot of Fair City Mall. According to police, O’Brien didn’t know the man who attacked him. The assailant fled in a vehicle afterward. A short time later, O’Brien was transported to a medical facility and hospitalized for treatment of a head injury.
Two days later, on April 18, Librado Cena, 57, of 9820 Saint Cloud Court in Fairfax, was taken into custody after an officer recognized his vehicle from a lookout that had been given. After police spoke with Cena, he was taken to the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center where he was charged with aggravated malicious wounding and later released.
Then last Friday, April 26, police were notified that O’Brien had died. An autopsy was performed by the Office of the Medical Examiner and his death was officially ruled a homicide. The Criminal Investigations Division has notified the commonwealth attorney’s office and the criminal investigation is continuing.