Meet the Soros-backed Virginia prosecutor dubbed the 'worst in America' for allowing repeat offenders including an accused killer back on the streets
By Will Potter
Daily Mail
Mar 10, 2026
Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano, dubbed by critics as 'America's worst prosecutor', is facing backlash after dropping murder charges against a string of suspects in separate cases
A George Soros-funded prosecutor is facing backlash for his soft on crime approach which has seen violent and sexual criminals released back onto the streets where they have gone on to allegedly reoffend.
Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano has been dubbed by critics as 'America's worst prosecutor' for his work in Virginia.
Last week, illegal migrant Abdul Jalloh, 32, who was known to the police, was charged with the murder of Stephanie Minter, 41, who was found stabbed to death outside a bus stop.
Jalloh has an extensive rap sheet with more than two dozen arrests, including several for malicious wounding.
A Freedom of Information Act request by Fox5 found that police repeatedly warned Descano's office to keep the repeat offender behind bars, saying they feared he could strike again at any moment.
Despite the police's pleas, Jalloh was not held on charges as Descano's office said they did not have victim cooperation to keep him.
Descano also came under fire after his office failed to prosecute registered sex offender Richard Cox for allegedly exposing himself in a women's locker room in 2024.
Months later, Cox was accused of doing so again in a high school girls' locker room and other locations.
Descano's office also came under scrutiny for accepting the insanity plea put forward by the killer of charity CEO Gret Glyer, 32, who was shot dead in June 2022 as he slept in bed next to his wife Heather (seen with their two young children)
A spokesman for the prosecutor's office told abc7 that 'prosecutors were not involved in this particular case' as it was a misdemeanor and Cox was not being represented by a lawyer.
The family of murdered CEO Gret Glyer also hit out at Descano after his office accepted an insanity plea from his murderer.
Joshua Daniel Danehower, 37, killed Glyer as he lay in bed next to his wife in June 2022.
Danehower had briefly dated Glyer's wife and became obsessed with her to the extent that he created a chilling planning document how to kill him.
The document, which he titled 'The Plan', revealed the meticulous detail that Danehower had gone to in plotting the killing, including changing his clothes right after shooting Glyer before getting onto a highway 'as soon as possible.'
Ahead of his trial, a judge accepted Danehower's insanity plea put forward by prosecutors, which will allow him to avoid jail time and be housed in a mental health facility with a chance at release at a yearly review.
'There was a premeditated nature to his crime. The killer planned the attack with a step-by-step procedure of how he was going to both kill my brother and get away with it,' his sister Gizan Glyer said.
'He admits to this and yet he's using his mental health problems as an excuse to avoid any punitive punishment for his crimes, and that is not right.
'When there is no punishment for a premeditated murder, there's no hope in the criminal justice system.'
Joshua Daniel Danehower, 37, admitted to fatally shooting Glyer, but officials presiding over his case sparked anger from the victim's family by accepting a not guilty by reason of insanity plea
Last week, illegal migrant Abdul Jalloh, 32, was charged with the murder of a 41-year-old woman - and it emerged that Descano's office had been warned not to release him on previous arrests before the alleged killing
In a statement following the plea, the Commonwealth of Virginia said: 'The Glyer family’s hurt and disappointment is completely valid and more than understandable.
'Our clinical expert had previously found the defendant to be legally insane at the time of the offense, which now makes two independent experts who have reached that conclusion; these findings mean the Commonwealth would be unable to meet our burden of proof at a trial.
'Individuals who are found to be legally insane are remanded indefinitely to a Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services facility.'
The prosecutor's office faced more scrutiny after it dropped a second-degree murder charge against Robert Reed, who was accused of murdering a homeless man at a bus station last summer.
Reed was arrested after he was seen wearing similar clothing to the wanted suspect at the scene.
Descano's office said Reed was released when DNA testing came back inconclusive. It also cited a lack of witness cooperation in the case.
The Commonwealth attorney also dropped murder charges against Helena Little, a woman accused of murdering her 79-year-old mother.
Police said a caretaker found Little's mother stabbed to death inside her apartment, and Little was arrested days later.
Stephanie Minter, 41, was allegedly stabbed to death on February 23 by Jalloh who has a string of violent crimes to his name
In a hearing on March 4, a judge determined that Descano's prosecution did not provide enough probable cause to move forward with a trial.
Descano's office said in a statement after Little was released, 'This is part of the judge’s role in the criminal justice system.'
In the cases of Little and Reed, the prosecutor's office said it stood by its decisions, saying in a statement: 'Both cases were handled by experienced Deputies in our office.
'We remain bound by the facts of each case, available evidence, and the rules of the American legal system.'
In the case of Jalloh, Descano's office admitted that the career criminal was well known to law enforcement before the alleged attack that killed Minter.
In a statement, the office said Jalloh had previously been convicted and served jail time for a 2023 malicious wounding charge.
'Unfortunately, the defendant in this case also had a history of selecting victims with no fixed address – some of the most vulnerable members of our community.
'In multiple cases, we were unable to move forward with prosecution because victims could not be located or contacted,' the office said in part.
Descano's office also recently dropped a second-degree murder charge against Robert Reed, who was accused of murdering a homeless man at a bus station last summer
Descano's judgement again came under scrutiny after murder charges were dropped against Helena Little, a woman accused of murdering her 79-year-old mother inside her mother's home last November
The concerning track record led the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) to brand 'America's Worst Prosecutor' earlier this year.
Descano took more than $650,000 from organizations backed by left-wing billionaire Soros to help fund his election bid, according to AEI.
The Daily Mail has contacted Descano's office for comment.
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