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A Fairfax County judge handed down a sentence of more than two life terms Friday to a man who raped a woman he knew from high school while she was unconscious, then left her partially clothed body in a wooded area of Springfield.
Terence Bridgett Jr. will serve 70 years in prison after pleading guilty to rape, forcible sodomy, aggravated sexual battery, concealing a dead body, and unlawfully filming a nude person. Circuit Court Judge Jonathan Frieden suspended the remainder of the sentence beyond 70 years.
Fayra Bonilla-Rubi, 26, of Springfield, was reported missing by her family on June 10, 2024, after she failed to return home from meeting Bridgett two days earlier. Police found her body on June 14 in a wooded area near the 7600 block of Highland Street. By then, her remains had partially decomposed. She was covered by a sheet with most of her clothing removed.
Phone Video Captured the Crime
When detectives arrested Bridgett on June 19, 2024, they found video on his phone showing Bonilla-Rubi appearing unconscious in his minivan. DNA evidence linked Bridgett to the victim’s body and clothing. Surveillance footage and cell phone location data placed the two together for hours on that Saturday afternoon at multiple locations, contradicting his account of events.
A grand jury indicted Bridgett in December 2024 on charges including first-degree murder. His trial was scheduled twice before he entered guilty pleas in February 2026 to all charges except murder. Prosecutors dropped the murder charge because an autopsy could not determine Bonilla-Rubi’s cause of death or confirm homicide.
Family Testified Before Sentencing
Bonilla-Rubi’s mother and sister addressed the court before sentencing, describing how her death shattered their family. Friends remembered her as a “beautiful soul” who could light up a room with her smile.
Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano called the case deeply disturbing. “It is even more disturbing to know that she was violated and assaulted while unconscious by someone she trusted,” he said. “The man who did this to her will not be able to hurt anyone else.”