[Archived] Man Sentenced to 25 Years for Burglary & Sexual Assault

For Immediate Release: March 21, 2019

On March 14, 2019, Felix Saaverdra, a 32-year-old Maryland resident, was sentenced to serve 25 years of active incarceration upon his convictions for Statutory Burglary with Intent to Rape, Abduction, Strangulation, Object Sexual Penetration by Force and Assault and Battery.

On January 27, 2018, the defendant entered the apartment building at 5800 Quantrell Avenue through a rear entrance. As he entered, he covered his face with dark fabric. Surveillance cameras captured images of his face before he covered it. The defendant entered the stairway leading to the victim’s home. The defendant knocked on the victim’s door and immediately attacked the adult female homeowner when she opened the door. The defendant forced his way into the home and placed the victim in a headlock; when she broke free from him, the defendant grabbed the victim’s throat and violently squeezed to a point where she could not breathe. As the defendant strangled the victim, her three-year-old child attempted to protect her mother and the defendant pushed the child away.

The defendant then forced mother and child into the bathroom of the home. The defendant bound the adult victim’s hands together using various articles of clothing from her home and placed a gag around her mouth. The child laid next to her mother on the bathroom floor and the defendant covered both of their heads with a towel. After sexually assaulting the adult female, the defendant attempted to lock mother and child into the bathroom by utilizing an electric cord as a rope on the outside of the door. When the mother believed he had fled, she ran with her child to the apartment’s security office and called police. The defendant did not speak to either victim and his face, but for his eyes, remained covered by his clothing during the entirety of his offenses.

On January 29, 2018, police released the still photographs of the defendant obtained from the apartment building’s surveillance. After seeing the images of the defendant entering the building, the defendant was identified by the victim as someone she knew. The victim’s fiancée and the defendant’s own family also identified him. The defendant thereafter fled from Maryland to New York and then to the Mexican border. He was arrested in April of 2018 by border patrol officers and extradited back to Virginia. Before his apprehension, DNA from items of evidence also confirmed the defendant’s identity as a person known to the victim.
The defendant was sentenced to a total of 50 years of incarceration in the Virginia Department of Corrections, with 25 years of the sentence suspended. Upon his release, the defendant will be on supervised probation for a period of 5 years and must remain of uniform good behavior for 10 years. He will also be
required to register with state police as a violent sexual offender and have no contact with the victims in this case.

Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney Cathryn F. Evans and Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Erin Earp diligently prosecuted the matter on the behalf of the Commonwealth. The case was thoroughly investigated by Detectives John P. Jones and Brad Cecchetti of the Alexandria Police Department’s Criminal Investigations Section. Critical evidence was collected by a forensic nurse at INOVA Fairfax Hospital. Advocates from the Alexandria Sexual Assault Center and Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office Victim-Witness program provided support to the victim throughout the pendency of the case.

The defendant was remanded to the custody of the William G. Truesdale Adult Detention Center where he awaits transfer to the Department of Corrections.