Updated at 6:58 p.m.
A Winooski man is behind bars for the fatal stabbing of another man in downtown Burlington early Saturday.
Hassan O. Haji, 24, pleaded not guilty Tuesday afternoon to a charge of second-degree murder. He’s accused of stabbing Deng Dau, 23, a single time in the groin during a fight that also involved a third young man, who has not been charged.
The stabbing occurred around 4 a.m. on Saturday in the parking lot behind the civil courthouse on Main Street; nearby officers responded immediately, according to police. Dau was taken to the hospital, where he died.
Haji was ordered to be held in prison pending a bail hearing on August 27.
The three men were captured on security camera footage arguing and pushing each other in the minutes leading up to the stabbing, according to a detective’s affidavit filed with the court. Haji then lunged and swung his right arm toward Dau’s hip. Dau can then be heard saying something to the effect of, “he just stabbed me,” the affidavit states.
Haji immediately ran off. Detectives used security camera footage to track him to a College Street apartment building, where they noticed blood on the door handle of one unit, according the detective’s statement.
The unit turned out to be the home of Haji’s older brother, Aden, a well-known community organizer who previously served on the Burlington School Board.
On Monday, police executed a search warrant at the apartment, where they found a trash bag containing a pair of white sneakers that Haji can be seen wearing on the footage. The sneakers appeared to have blood on them, the affidavit says.
Aden Haji told detectives his family had been having a hard time recently. He implied this was due to Dau’s death, saying their families had known each other for years. He neither admitted nor denied knowing whether his brother was involved in the stabbing, according to court records.
Hassan Haji surrendered to police on Tuesday morning. Police say he had a cut on the inside part of his right thumb. The wound appeared to be fresh, police said.
Dau graduated from Champlain Valley Union High School, where he played on the basketball team. A GoFundMe campaign created for his family said he was known for his “incredible sense of humor and kind heart.”
“He had a way of bringing laughter and joy to the people around him,” the page reads.
The stabbing occurred during a particularly violent weekend in Burlington that the city’s mayor called “deeply upsetting.”
Following Tuesday’s arraignment, State’s Attorney Sarah George issued a statement commending the work of the Burlington police.
“Our office met with Mr. Dau’s family and will work diligently to connect them with the essential services available to help them cope with this tragedy and provide them with everything they need to navigate the legal system and the daunting process that lies ahead,” George wrote.
Correction, August 26, 2026: An earlier version of this story contained an incorrect age for Deng Dau.
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