Ex-Boyfriend Of Jholie Moussa Faces Trial For Assault

The ex-boyfriend of Jholie Moussa, the Mount Vernon teen found found dead in January, faces a trial for a previous assault on Moussa.

A judge decided Monday the 17-year-old boy will face trial for allegedly strangling Moussa in an assault unrelated to her death, NBC Washington reports. Fairfax County Police learned about the felonious assault during the investigation into Moussa's disappearance and charged him Jan. 30. He is also a person of interest in Moussa's death.

Moussa, 16, had been missing since Jan. 13 when her body was found Jan. 26 in Woodlawn Park. She had been entered as a runaway juvenile, a status later changed to endangered minor. No Amber Alert was issued.

Her mother Syreeta Steward-Hill, who believed her daughter would not run away, criticized the way police handled her daughter's disappearance. Moussa had sent a text to her twin sister Zhane saying she was going to a party in Norfolk and would be back.

Police have not charged a suspect in Moussa's death. (For more information on this and other neighborhood stories, subscribe to Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app; download the free Patch Android app here.)

Image via Fairfax County Police