Manassas assault case reclassified as homicide

By Elisa Glushefski

Published: September 5, 2008

What started as an assault case is now being investigated by Manassas City police as a homicide after the victim, 51-year-old Jani Famil Babamirza, died Aug. 23 at Potomac Health Care Center in Arlington, authorities reported Friday.

The Medical Examiner determined that the cause of death was due to blunt force trauma to the head, said Sgt. Tim Neumann, Manassas police spokesman.

As of Friday, police had no suspects in the case, Neumann said.

"We're just hoping to get some information, give us some leads and which direction to go in," he said.

On Feb. 13, the Greater Manassas Rescue Squad responded to the 8600 block of Devonshire Court in Manassas in response to a call of an injury from a fall, police said.

Rescue workers arrived to find Famil Babamirza unconscious at the bottom of the staircase inside an apartment building and transported him to Prince William Hospital for treatment, according to

police.

Police were not called to the scene of the reported fall, Neumann said.

"We didn't realize it was an assault until sometime later," he said. "There was nobody else around to tell us anything

different."

A month later, police opened an investigation after receiving information from an unidentified third party that Ba-bamirza received his injuries from an assault and not from a fall, Neumann said.

Neumann said he did not know whether Famil Babamirza was living with anyone at the time of the

incident.

Anyone with information about this case is asked to call Manassas City Crime Solvers' anonymous tip line at 703-330-0330.

Staff writer Elisa Glushefski can be reached at 703-878-8062.