A Fairfax County grand jury has indicted Marvin Morales Ortez, 24, on second-degree murder and firearm charges in a fatal Reston shooting.

Morales Ortez faces charges of second-degree murder and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony in connection with the Dec. 17, 2025, shooting death of Marvin Ernesto Morales, 40, at a residence in the 12300 block of Fan Shell Court. The two men were reported housemates, according to The Reston Letter.

The grand jury handed down the indictment Sept. 21, as first reported by the Fairfax Times. Morales Ortez's trial is set for Dec. 7 in Fairfax County Circuit Court.

At a Sept. 9 preliminary hearing in General District Court, a resident of the home testified that she heard six gunshots from upstairs, called 911 and saw Morales Ortez leaving the residence wearing a distinctive black-and-white sweatshirt, according to the Fairfax Times.

Authorities arrested Morales Ortez in nearby woods after the shooting. Police said he was carrying a 9mm handgun. Detectives recovered 9mm cartridge casings from the scene.

Morales Ortez had been released from the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center on Dec. 16, 2025, one day before the shooting, after prosecutors dropped malicious wounding and brandishing charges because the victim declined to travel to testify in court, FFXnow reported.

The arrest on Dec. 17 followed a two-hour police search that prompted lockdowns at two Reston-area schools, Hunters Woods and Dogwood, according to The Reston Letter.

In addition to the state charges, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia charged Morales Ortez in December 2025 with possessing a firearm while illegally present in the United States. That charge carries up to 10 years in prison if convicted. The current status of the federal case is not clear from public records.

Laura Birnbaum, a spokesperson for the Fairfax County Commonwealth's Attorney's Office, said in December 2025 that "public safety is improved when federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies coordinate … this case is one of those examples."

The Fairfax County Public Defender's Office was representing Morales Ortez as of December 2025. No updated information on his legal representation is available in public records.