ALEXANDRIA, VA. — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (USAO - Virginia, Eastern), published as received.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Three Virginia men have pleaded guilty to their respective roles in drug-related murder in 2018 in Fairfax.

Charles Anthony Forbes, 30, of Reston, pleaded guilty today to using a firearm to commit a drug-related murder. In March, Fredy Fabian Alfaro, 36, of Reston, and Jimmie Marcel McCray, 36, of Sterling, pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting the murder, and to conspiring to distribute marijuana.

According to court documents, from January through April of 2018, Alfaro had conspired with the victim, Michael Cooker, and others to ship marijuana from California and sell it in Northern Virginia. In April 2018, Alfaro and Cooker had a dispute over the conspiracy’s profits. On the night of April 17, 2018, Alfaro and Cooker continued their dispute through a series of electronic phone messages. In the early morning of April 18, 2018, Alfaro called McCray and offered him compensation to physically harm Cooker. Alfaro’s motive was his dispute with Cooker over the drug conspiracy. McCray then contacted Forbes and told him that Alfaro had offered remuneration to physically harm Cooker.

Around this same time, Cooker, McCray, Forbes, and another individual had been spending time together in Herndon. Around 6 a.m. on April 18, 2019, Cooker, McCray, Forbes, and the other individual drove in two separate vehicles to Chantilly. There, McCray provided Forbes with a Smith & Wesson revolver. Forbes and Cooker then left the area in one of the vehicles. Forbes drove Cooker to a wooded road in Fairfax Station. Around 6:30 a.m., Forbes pulled over to the side of the road and shot Cooker twice in the head, killing him. Forbes drove away, leaving Cooker’s body there.

On November 6, Alfaro was sentenced to a total of 21 years in prison, and McCray was sentenced to 20 years in prison. Forbes faces a maximum term of life in prison when he is sentenced on April 9, 2021.

G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; James A. Dawson, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office Criminal Division; Colonel Edwin C. Roessler Jr., Fairfax County Chief of Police, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis, III.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael P. Ben’Ary, Marc J. Birnbaum, and Rachael C. Tucker are prosecuting the case.

This case was investigated by the Fairfax County Police Department, in partnership with the FBI, Washington Field Office’s Northern Virginia Violent Crime Task Force. The task force, consisting of FBI Agents and Task Force Officers from Northern Virginia law enforcement departments, work to investigate, identify and seek prosecution against the most violent and egregious offenders in the region.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:19-cr-260.