A man has been found guilty of breaking into his former girlfriend’s Arlington apartment to hold her captive, threaten her life and sexually assault her across a terrifying 48 hours.
Johnson Wan faces up to life in prison after jurors convicted him following a three-day trial last week.
“The victim suffered an unimaginable and terrifying 48 hours that she will live with for the rest of her life. This verdict holds the defendant accountable and ensures he will not do this again,” Commonwealth’s Attorney Parisa Dehghani-Tafti said in a press release.
The incident took place in the early morning hours of March 8. Wan broke into the victim’s apartment while she was asleep by breaking the latch on the door, according to prosecutors.
“Once inside, he handcuffed the victim, placed tape over her mouth, and pointed a firearm at her head,” the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office said. “During the next approximately 48 hours, Mr. Wan held the victim against her will, repeatedly threatened to kill her, and raped her.”
The victim managed to escape by telling Wan that she had to go to work to pick up her paycheck, Kara Simon, a spokesperson for the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office, told ARLnow. She drove her own car, but when she got to work, she asked her manager to get her an Uber to the police station so that Wan wouldn’t follow her, Simon said.
Wan was arrested the following day.
Investigators found that Wan had secretly installed surveillance cameras inside the victim’s apartment and had been monitoring their footage, the press release says. They also found the victim’s passport in his vehicle along with a firearm that he had purchased three days before the incident.
Wan was convicted of rape, abduction, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, and breaking and entering with intent to commit murder, rape or abduction.
“We are grateful to the victim for her courage throughout this case and to the Arlington County Police Department, victim advocates, and prosecution team for their work in securing justice,” Dehghani-Tafti said. “As always, I am grateful to the jurors for their service.”
A sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later date.
