The plea deal landed with a blunt outcome: two men admitted to a killing, and both will serve five years behind bars.
Maldin Anibal Guzman and Wis Alonso Sorto-Portillo pleaded guilty to second-degree murder by mob in connection with the 2024 death of Nicacio Hernandez Gonzalez. The victim’s body was discovered in a wooded area along Route 29 in Oakton, Virginia, with clear signs of physical trauma. What began as a violent group assault ended in a homicide charge that, on paper, carried the possibility of decades in prison.
Instead, each man received a 25-year sentence with 20 years suspended. The remaining five years will be served under the terms of a plea agreement accepted by a judge.
The decision came from Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano’s office, which argued the case was severely limited by a lack of physical evidence. There was no DNA tying the suspects directly to the scene. Prosecutors also pointed to a climate of fear among potential witnesses, who they said were unwilling to come forward or cooperate. In that context, the office maintained the plea deal was the only reliable way to secure prison time for the defendants.
The background of one of the men adds another layer to the case. Federal immigration authorities identified Guzman as a Honduran national who entered the United States illegally in 2018 and was ordered removed the following year. Immigration and Customs Enforcement stated it had lodged multiple detainers against him in prior encounters with local authorities, but those requests were not honored. He was released from custody before the 2024 killing. ICE also cited previous convictions for burglary and assault.
Sorto-Portillo, the second defendant, does not appear in ICE records, according to the agency.
The case initially involved more suspects. A third individual, Wilmer Adli Guzman, was later arrested in Washington, D.C., though the current status of his case was not addressed in the same proceedings.
Descano’s tenure as prosecutor has included a series of policy changes focused on reducing incarceration and limiting the use of cash bail. Those policies have drawn scrutiny in cases like this one, where the gap between the severity of the crime and the final sentence is stark.
Federal officials have pointed to this case while raising concerns about broader patterns in Fairfax County. The Department of Homeland Security referenced multiple homicide cases involving individuals identified as being in the country unlawfully, though those claims have not been independently detailed in court records tied to this case.
At the center of it remains a single outcome: a man was killed, two individuals admitted responsibility, and the resolution—shaped by evidentiary limits and prosecutorial discretion—resulted in a fixed, five-year term for each.
