Repeat offender convicted of 2024 rape on W&OD Trail in Virginia
Victim speaks out after Herndon rape suspect's arrest
A victim and a police chief are speaking out to FOX 5's Josh Rosenthal as we learn more about a man accused of raping a stranger, despite a long history of prior arrests.
FAIRFAX COUNTY, VA. - Denis Humberto Roman Navarette, 33, has been convicted of rape in connection with a November 2024 attack on the Washington & Old Dominion (W&OD) Trail in Herndon, Virginia, the Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office announced on Tuesday.
Under a plea agreement, Roman Navarette faces up to 18 years in prison, exceeding the midpoint of Virginia’s standard sentencing guidelines.
What we know:
The charge stems from Nov. 18, 2024, when Herndon Police responded to a sexual assault report on the W&OD Trail. A woman reported that a stranger approached her as she walked home from a nearby establishment and assaulted her. Officers apprehended Roman Navarette nearby on the trail, where officials said he confessed to the attack.
Following a period of court-ordered competency restoration through the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, Roman Navarette was recently found fit to stand trial. This development allowed the legal case to proceed, culminating in a plea agreement finalized on Tuesday.
"My office reached this outcome because the defendant poses a clear risk to public safety and cannot remain in the community," Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano said in a statement.
The conviction follows scrutiny over Roman Navarette's regional criminal history.
Records indicate Roman Navarette, an undocumented Honduran national, faced multiple charges in Northern Virginia dating back to 2022, per previous FOX 5 D.C. reporting. These included a June 2022 arrest involving physical resistance, as well as an October 2024 indecent exposure conviction.
For the exposure offense, he served 25 days of a 50-day sentence before his release under Virginia’s statutory good-behavior provisions on Nov. 14, 2024—four days before the W&OD Trail attack, also according to Descano's office. Police also noted other reported encounters, including an instance where a resident reported he exposed himself outside her home.
Following the 2022 incident, Herndon Police Chief Maggie DeBoard questioned prosecutorial decisions after a felony charge of assault on a law enforcement officer was reduced by the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office to misdemeanor simple assault, also according to previous FOX 5 D.C. reporting.
Descano’s office did not elaborate on the reduction at the time, noting only that he was prosecuted and served jail time. DeBoard described the broader situation as a systemic issue involving multiple agencies at the time as well.
Regarding immigration oversight, the Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office previously noted that standard procedures dictate fingerprinting all inmates upon admission to send automated notifications to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
What's next:
Court records show a sentencing hearing is set for Dec. 11, 2026.
The Source: Information from the Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office and previous FOX 5 D.C. reporting.