A man from Virginia, who was declared not guilty by reason of insanity in a murder case from 2019, managed to leave the United States and board a one-way flight to Tajikistan. This occurred on a 48-hour leave that was sanctioned by a state mental health facility, as per court documents.
Abduloy Toshprozoda exited the Northern Virginia Mental Health Institute (NVMHI) on July 6, with the understanding that he would return after two days. However, he never reappeared as expected. Instead, he made his way to Washington Dulles International Airport, boarded a Turkish Airlines flight to Istanbul, and subsequently traveled to Dushanbe, Tajikistan, according to court filings.
“The appointee did not return to NVMHI on July 8, 2026, as directed,” noted the legal filing.
In 2022, it was established that Toshprozoda, who had fatally harmed his homeowner, Mohammad Hematian, was not guilty due to insanity and was committed to the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services. Following a judge’s assessment that he continued to struggle with mental illness requiring inpatient care, his situation changed around June 29, 2026.
Despite this finding, state laws permit certain patients at mental health facilities to take unsupervised community visits for up to 48 hours. Consequently, NVMHI permitted Toshprozoda to leave on July 6, but he chose not to return, opting for the airport instead, as documented by the court.
Airline records confirmed that he indeed traveled from Dulles to Istanbul and from there to Dushanbe. Interestingly, reports suggest that the U.S. Attorney’s Office had previously facilitated his request to travel to Washington, D.C., in 2024 to obtain a passport.
Once he failed to return as planned, NVMHI changed his status to fugitive, retracted his pass, and issued a warrant for his apprehension. Virginia State Police and federal authorities were promptly notified, while U.S. Customs and Border Protection was cautioned to be on the lookout should he attempt to reenter the country. Ultimately, a bench warrant was issued for his arrest.
The Commonwealth’s Attorney for Fairfax County remarked that clinicians concluded Toshprozoda was insane during the murder of Hematian, making it impossible for the Commonwealth to secure a conviction. Following his conviction and amid objections from prosecutors during yearly review hearings—most recently in June regarding his continued confinement—a bench warrant was swiftly issued once officials learned of his escape. Should he return to the U.S., he would face arrest and be brought back to Virginia.
Attempts to reach out to the Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office, the Northern Virginia Mental Health Institute, and Turkish Airlines for comments were unsuccessful.
