Ex-boyfriend pleads guilty to murder of 16-year-old Jholie Moussa in Fairfax County

FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. (FOX 5 DC) -- Nebiyu Ebrahim has pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in the killing of his ex-girlfriend Jholie Moussa, according to the Fairfax County Commonwealth Attorney's Office.

Moussa was reported missing before she was found dead in an Alexandria park in January 2018.

In Fairfax County Court Wednesday, prosecutors say 18-year-old Ebrahim admitted to strangling Moussa saying he was enraged because he had gotten into trouble for a prior assault against the Mount Vernon High School 10th grader and Moussa wanted to break-up.

Prosecutors say Ebrahim was not offered any incentive to plea, which is part of the reason his guilty plea came as a surprise to Moussa's family members.

"While this doesn't bring her back, it helps us to know that [Ebrahim] is at least accepting responsibility," Moussa's aunt Veronica Eyenga told FOX 5. "The real joy will come when he's sentenced."

Ebrahim's sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 4. He faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.