Trending Topics

Va. police make arrest in football player’s death

Police say the college football player was stabbed during a meeting with the suspect

Associated Press

FAIRFAX, Va. — A college football player in Virginia found fatally stabbed is being mourned, and Fairfax County police have made an arrest in his killing.

Authorities have arrested 22-year-old Johnny Bonilla, of Gainesville, in the death of Zavier O. Stringfellow. Police say Stringfellow was stabbed during a meeting with Bonilla.

The 19-year-old Stringfellow, of Manassas, was found dead Friday in a minivan in the Vienna area.

Stringfellow played football for Battlefield High School in Haymarket and more recently for Ferrum College in southwestern Virginia, where the roster lists him as a defensive end. His coach, Dave Harper, tells WTOP that Stringfellow was well-liked and had a good attitude.

It wasn’t clear if Bonilla had a lawyer. A man who answered the phone at a Bonilla family listing in Gainesville declined to comment.

Copyright 2012 Associated Press