HERNDON, VA — A 33-year-old man has been convicted of raping a stranger on the Washington & Old Dominion Trail in Herndon, Fairfax County prosecutors announced Tuesday.
Denis Humberto Roman Navarette attacked the woman on the evening of Nov. 18, 2024, according to a news release from Fairfax County Commonwealth's Attorney Steve Descano. Fairfax County Circuit Court records show a plea hearing was held at 10 a.m. Tuesday.
The Circuit Court case was opened May 29 after the rape charge was certified from General District Court. A grand jury indictment was presented June 15, court records show.
Herndon police responded to the trail after receiving a report of a sexual assault. The woman told officers she had been walking home from Jimmy's Old Town Tavern when a stranger approached and assaulted her despite her telling him no, prosecutors said.
Police found Roman Navarette on the trail shortly after the attack. He confessed to raping the woman, according to the commonwealth's attorney's office.
"My office reached this outcome because the defendant poses a clear risk to public safety and cannot remain in the community," Descano said in the release. "He harmed the victim immeasurably, and, by raping a stranger in a public park, has harmed everyone in our community who uses public spaces."
General District Court records show Roman Navarette was arrested Nov. 19, 2024, on a charge of rape by force or threat. Circuit Court records show a criminal complaint and arrest warrant were issued that morning.
Roman Navarette was also charged with abduction with intent to defile in connection with the Nov. 18 incident. The General District Court record lists that Class 2 felony charge as nolle prosequi, meaning it was not prosecuted.
Roman Navarette's sentencing hearing is scheduled for 10 a.m. Dec. 11 before Fairfax County Circuit Court Judge Dontae L. Bugg, according to the Circuit Court record.
Under the plea agreement, the judge may impose up to 18 years in prison. Prosecutors said that maximum exceeds the midpoint of Virginia's sentencing guidelines for the offense.
The resolution of the case was delayed after Roman Navarette was found incompetent to stand trial, according to prosecutors. He spent much of the past year undergoing competency restoration proceedings through the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services.
General District Court records show multiple review hearings and continuances between April 2025 and May 2026, including one continuance because a medical evaluation was pending.
Roman Navarette was separately charged in March 2025 with prisoner property damage to escape, a Class 6 felony. The record lists March 17, 2025, as the offense date and March 20 as the arrest and filing date. That charge was listed as nolle prosequi.
Court records identify Roman Navarette's status as being in custody but do not specify where he was being held.
A separate General District Court record shows Roman Navarette was charged with indecent exposure following an Oct. 19, 2024, offense. He was arrested the next day, and the case was filed Oct. 21.
Roman Navarette pleaded guilty to the Class 1 misdemeanor on Nov. 13, five days before the trail attack. He was sentenced to 50 days and ordered to pay $290 in court costs, according to the record.
Prosecutors said Roman Navarette is also known as Dennis Humberto Romero Naverrote and Denis Humberto Navarette Romero. The court records identify him as Denis Humber Navarette Romero or Denis Humberto Navarette Romero.
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