Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Man is accused of killing his girlfriend’s former boyfriend

A judge in Arlington General District Court on Monday (19) ruled that it's probable Jitesh Patel may have killed his girlfriend's former boyfriend.

Patel is believed to have broken into John Giandoni’s townhouse in Ballston on March 15 and shot Giandoni to death.


“It’s clearly a case of circumstantial evidence,” Judge Frances O’Brien said, according to The Washington Post. But certain pieces were “certainly incriminating,” she added, pointing out that a gun found in Patel’s home safe matched bullets from the crime scene.

“It’s simply not coincidental,” she said.

Patel, 42, a resident of Woodbine, Md., was charged with murder only four months after Giandoni’s death.

Giandoni's sister Jenna testified on Monday that her brother met his former girlfriend through work. Although they became close, their's was a “tumultuous relationship.” Giandoni's new girlfriend reportedly lied about being separated from her husband and also lied to her then-spouse about the child she and Giandoni had in 2013, Jenna said.

“He had fought a long battle to gain custody,” Jenna testified. “They had a strained relationship.”

The female started dating Patel, a married father, sometime following the custody battle.

On Monday, a surveillance video played in court from the afternoon of Giandoni’s death that showed a dark minivan parked by the victim's townhouse about 2 pm. The video shows someone exiting the car and going inside the building.

Giandoni arrives three hours later and half an hour later, the figure is seen leaving the townhouse.

In May, after several weeks of surveillance, police officials searched Patel's home where they found a safe with a 9-millimeter pistol inside. They found eight boxes of cartridges. Seven were full but one was missing two bullets, officers testified in court.

One bullet was found behind a smashed candle on Giandoni’s kitchen counter, and the other was found in his body.

A firearms examiner testified that the bullets matched Patel’s gun.

“The evidence in this case, while circumstantial, is very strong,” Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Andy Parker said in court.

The case will now move to a grand jury.

More For You

care workers

New report exposed a system that has pushed vulnerable carers into financial and emotional turmoil. (Photo for representation: iStock)

Carer's allowance penalties trap many in debt: report

HUNDREDS of thousands of unpaid carers have been hammered by harsh penalties for minor rule breaches, a damning national audit has revealed.

The National Audit Office (NAO) report exposed a system that has pushed vulnerable carers into financial and emotional turmoil.

Keep ReadingShow less
Urfan Sharif

Urfan Sharif had signed agreements prohibiting 'any physical chastisement' of children after facing multiple accusations of abuse.(Photo: Reuters)

Urfan Sharif had signed agreements prohibiting 'any physical chastisement' of children after facing multiple accusations of abuse.(Photo: Reuters)

Urfan Sharif was accused of abuse before Sara's birth: Report

SARA SHARIF’s father, Urfan Sharif, was repeatedly accused of abuse in the 13 years leading up to her murder, according to family court documents.

These records, according to The Times, reveal a history of physical abuse, neglect, and domestic violence within the family, with multiple interventions by social services.

Keep ReadingShow less
Healthcare workers hold placards as they demonstrate on Westminster Bridge, near to St Thomas' Hospital in London on May 1, 2023. (Photo: Getty Images)
Healthcare workers hold placards as they demonstrate on Westminster Bridge, near to St Thomas' Hospital in London on May 1, 2023. (Photo: Getty Images)

Teachers, nurses warn of strikes over 2.8 per cent pay rise proposal

TEACHERS and nurses may strike after the government recommended a 2.8 per cent pay rise for public sector workers for the next financial year.

Ministers cautioned that higher pay awards would require cuts in Whitehall budgets.

Keep ReadingShow less
A man walks past a mural that says ‘Northern Ireland’, on Sandy Row in Belfast, Northern Ireland, August 11, 2024. (Photo: Reuters)
A man walks past a mural that says ‘Northern Ireland’, on Sandy Row in Belfast, Northern Ireland, August 11, 2024. (Photo: Reuters)

Northern Ireland approves extension of post-Brexit trade rules

NORTHERN Ireland’s devolved government has voted to continue implementing post-Brexit trading arrangements under the Windsor Framework, a deal signed between London and the European Union in February 2023.

The vote in the Northern Ireland Assembly at Stormont extended the arrangement for four years.

Keep ReadingShow less
'Covid bereavement rates in Scotland highest among Asians'
Ethnic groups were found to be two-and-a-half times more likely to have experienced the loss of a close family member.

'Covid bereavement rates in Scotland highest among Asians'

THE bereavement rates due to Covid in Scotland have been highest among those identifying with ‘Any other’ ethnic group (68 per cent), followed by Indians (44 per cent) and Pakistanis (38 per cent), a new study revealed. This is significantly higher than the national average of around 25 per cent.

Ethnic groups were found to be two-and-a-half times more likely to have experienced the loss of a close family member during the Covid crisis.

Keep ReadingShow less