Man Avoids Life Sentence For Killings Of Landscapers In Alexandria

ALEXANDRIA, VA — A man was sentenced last Friday to prison for the killings of two men doing landscaping work. The defendant, Francis Deonte Rose, 29, avoided a life sentence recommended by the Alexandria Commonwealth's Attorney.

Juan Carlos Anaya Hernandez, 24, and his stepfather Adrian de Jesus Rivera Guzman, 48, were identified as the victims in a July 19, 2022 shooting. Alexandria Police had responded to gunshots and burglary reports in the 200 block of Century Drive and found two people who were shot. One was pronounced dead at the scene, and the other died at the hospital.

According to WTOP, the men were doing landscaping work when Rose fatally shot them. Prosecutors believe Rose did not know the victims. Police believed the victims were bystanders in a burglary by Rose, the Washington Post reported.

A judge sentenced Rose to 58 years in prison, which was less than the life in prison sought by the victims' family and prosecutors.

"While I understand the Court has a difficult duty in pronouncing sentence in a murder case, the Commonwealth is disappointed the Court did not impose the sentence for which the Commonwealth argued: life in prison without the possibility of parole,” Commonwealth Attorney Bryan Porter said, as reported by WTOP. "In my opinion, the defendant’s horrific actions in the case surely merited a life sentence."

Before the double homicide, Rose had been released from Arlington County after drug and weapon-related charges were dropped, the Washington Post reported. Evidence in the case had been suppressed as a judge ruled police did an illegal search on Rose.

The victims' family had fled El Salvador due to violence and ended up in Alexandria, the Washington Post previously reported. Hernandez was seeking to become a musician and played for his neighbors. The stepfather worked in landscaping to support the family and is remembered for "lending a hand to neighbors in need, and having fun appearing on his wife and stepson’s TikTok videos." The victims' wife and mother Laura Hernandez told the Post she had been walking with Rivera Guzman not long before the shooting.