2 men convicted of killing stranger outside Fairfax County apartment
FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. (7News) — Two men have been convicted in separate jury trials for the 2025 killing of a 21-year-old man, who was shot outside his car at a Woodlawn, Virginia, apartment complex.
Tavon Ferguson, 32, and Tavon Lang, 33, both of Alexandria, were each convicted of second-degree murder and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, Fairfax County Commonwealth's Attorney Steve Descano announced.
Ferguson was convicted Aug. 20. Lang was convicted by another Fairfax County jury on July 17.
Jaylin Hartless, also of Alexandria, was shot four times during the early morning hours of Sept. 19, 2025, in the parking lot of his apartment complex on Buckman Road.
SEE PREVIOUS | Man found shot to death as Fairfax County police respond to possible car break-in
Prosecutors said Ferguson and Lang had been moving through the neighborhood before the shooting, trying car doors and stealing property from vehicles. Hartless did not know either man, according to Descano.
"Jaylin Hartless was a perfect stranger to these two defendants, who shot and killed him outside his own car in the parking lot of his apartment complex," Descano said.
DNA, surveillance and phone evidence tied men to murder
Prosecutors said security footage showed Ferguson and Lang moving through the neighborhood before the shooting and later running to the apartment of Ferguson's mother on Audubon Avenue.
Investigators said the men changed clothes there before leaving separately.
Detectives recovered two 9mm cartridge cases and two .25-caliber cases at the scene, which prosecutors said established that two guns were used.
Investigators also found Lang's palm print on a vehicle parked next to Hartless' body and Ferguson's DNA on one of the cartridge cases, according to prosecutors.
Ferguson's phone had Google searches for news about the shooting before information about the killing had been made public, while text messages from Lang's phone showed he was concerned about going to jail after the shooting, prosecutors said.
Fairfax County police announced three arrests in the case later that month after getting tips through Crime Solvers.
Tavon Ferguson was arrested Sept. 23 and charged with second-degree murder, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. His sentencing is set for Oct. 16.
Lang was arrested Sept. 26 and faced the same murder and firearm charges as Ferguson. His sentencing is set for Dec. 4.