Person of interest in Jholie Moussa murder case appears in court on separate assault charge

FAIRFAX, Va. - It has been more than two months since the murder of a Fairfax County teenager. A 17-year-old boy identified by police as a person of interest in her death faced a judge on Monday on a separate assault charge.

Jholie Moussa was found dead at Woodlawn Park in Alexandria two weeks after she was reported missing by her family in January.

FOX 5 is not releasing the person of interest's name because he is a juvenile, but the teenage boy appeared in court with his mother for a preliminary hearing in a strangulation case for a separate incident against Moussa. Sources have told FOX 5 that the person of interest is Moussa' ex-boyfriend.

Several members of Moussa's family attended the hearing. But before it began, the defense asked for the hearing to be closed to the public because their client was a juvenile and the judge agreed. Moussa's family did not want to speak to the media after the hearing.

The 16-year-old girl was reported missing back on Jan. 13 and her body was discovered at a park not far away from her Alexandria home on Jan. 26. Originally, investigators listed her as a runaway saying they had no evidence she was in danger. On Jan. 17, the FBI joined the investigation in the search for Moussa.

Fairfax County police identified the 17-year-old boy as a person of interest in the case after he was arrested on Jan. 18 in connection to a prior alleged assault on Moussa before she was found dead.

The cause of Moussa's death is still pending. There has been no arrests made in connection to her murder.