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Magistrate fired over comments to Times
October 21, 2021
By Olivia Anderson | oanderson@alextimes.com
Magistrate Elizabeth Fuller, the woman who filed the complaint that ultimately led to the bondsman in the Karla Dominguez homicide case losing his license, has been fired for comments she made to the Alexandria Times earlier this month.
The Department of Magistrate Services claimed that Fuller violated the Canons of Conduct for Virginia Magistrates by providing public comment about her decision to file a complaint against bail bondsman Man Nguyen, whose gun and car Ibrahim Bouaichi used last summer to allegedly kill Dominguez, his rape accuser.
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Fuller, meanwhile, defends her decision to file the complaint against Nguyen and said she doesnt regret any comments she made.
I am not sorry that I did the right thing, and that I know I did the right thing, Fuller said. Sometimes, in life, the right thing will cost you. I was the only person in a position to speak up for this woman.
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Shedding light
According to Fuller, Chief Magistrate Adam Willard discouraged her from filing the complaint against Nguyen in August 2020 after she learned that not only did the weapon and vehicle used in the Dominguez murder belong to Nguyen, but that he came to work nearly joking to officers about it.
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While Fuller does plan to seek legal counsel going forward, she said the overarching goals are much bigger than just her.
At the end of the day, I had to speak up for someone who did not receive justice, who we did not protect, Fuller said. The courts did not protect this woman. Nobody who could have protected her [did so], and if I dont have a job because Im the one saying that, and Im the only one saying that, so be it.