Fairfax County

Fairfax County Man Confessed to Killing High School Girlfriend by Putting Her in ‘MMA-Type Chokehold,' Police Say

Jholie Moussa left home under mysterious circumstances and never came back

The teenage boy was angry because after he choked and assaulted his high school girlfriend twice, he was transferred to an alternative high school. So he asked her to meet him in a park, strangled her and hid her body.

A Fairfax County detective said in court Friday that Nebiyu Ebrahim, now 18, confessed to killing 16-year-old Jholie Moussa, who had a protective order against him. Her relatives wept through parts of the hearing. 

Moussa left home under mysterious circumstances on Jan 12. She told her twin sister she was going to a party in Norfolk, nearly 200 miles away. Fourteen days later, on Jan. 25, police found her body in a wooded area of Woodlawn Park.

The detective testified Friday that Moussa agreed to meet Ebrahim in the park. Ebrahim said in a videotaped confession that he expected there to be an argument. He was angry that after he previously attacked Moussa, he was transferred out of Mount Vernon High School, which they both attended.

He said at one point Moussa tried to nudge him. She lost her balance and stumbled. That's when Ebrahim said he placed her in what he called an "MMA-type chokehold." She lost consciousness and fell to the ground.

Ebrahim told detectives he then choked Moussa twice more. Then, he dragged her lifeless body away from a walking path and into the woods, covering her with leaves.

Hours later, he was in his neighborhood in the Mount Vernon area. He pulled the SIM card out of Moussa's cellphone, put it in a weighted bag and threw it into a pond with fountains. Police say he didn't want anyone to know the two had been on Snapchat the night Moussa disappeared. 

Moussa's family reported her missing, and her body was found two weeks later.

Ebrahim was charged with murder in August. Judge Janine Saxe ruled Friday that there is enough evidence against Ebrahim for the case to move forward. It's set to go before a grand jury later this month.

Contact Us