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From: Biniam Tekle (biniamt@dehai.org)
Date: Wed Jun 01 2011 - 07:41:52 EDT
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/06/01/BAH71JME19.DTL
Oakland brothers guilty of triple murder
Justin Berton,Henry K. Lee, Chronicle Staff Writers
San Francisco Chronicle May 31, 2011 04:00 AM
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
*(05-31) 13:33 PDT OAKLAND* -- Two brothers face life in prison without the
possibility of parole after being convicted Tuesday of murdering their late
brother's widow and two of her relatives in a North Oakland apartment on
Thanksgiving <http://www.sfgate.com/thanksgiving/> Day 2006.
Asmeron Gebreselassie, 47, and his brother Tewodros Gebreselassie, 43, were
convicted of three counts each of special-circumstances murder, two counts
of false imprisonment, numerous weapons enhancements and one count of
attempted murder and kidnapping.
The brothers will be sentenced Aug. 2 in Oakland by Judge Vern Nakahara of
Alameda County Superior Court.
Prosecutor Joni Leventis said the five-month trial had brought closure to a
convoluted case that took nearly five years to resolve.
"I'm very thankful the jury understood the case and came back with the right
verdict," Leventis said. "It's about time the family got the justice they
need."
Darryl Stallworth, Asmeron Gebreselassie's attorney, said he was stunned by
the outcome. He maintained that Gebreselassie had killed the victims in
self-defense and said he would appeal the verdicts.
"It's tragic," Stallworth said. "The family brandished weapons that required
Asmeron to defend himself."
Asmeron Gebreselassie shot and killed 28-year-old Winta Mehari, the widow of
the men's late brother; her 17-year-old brother, Yonas Mehari, who was a
student at Berkeley High School; and the Meharis' mother, Regbe Bahrenegasi,
50.
The killings happened during a party Nov. 23, 2006, at the Keller Plaza
apartment complex on the 5300 block of Telegraph Avenue in North Oakland.
Police said the brothers, who also lived in the apartment complex, had been
angry at Winta Mehari over the unexplained death of their brother, Abraham
Tewolde, 42.
Mystery death
Tewolde, a mechanic who ran a small auto shop on Broadway, collapsed and
died March 1, 2006. An autopsy was unable to determine why he died.
Police said the Gebreselassie brothers suspected Winta Mehari had some role
in her husband's death.
Tewodros Gebreselassie attended the party at the Meharis' third-floor
apartment on Thanksgiving. Witnesses told police that he had been talking on
his cell phone and said at one point, "Yeah, they're all here."
Minutes later he opened the apartment door for Asmeron Gebreselassie, who
opened fire on the Mehari family, prosecutors said.
Boy carried to safety
When the shooting started, Tewodros Gebreselassie grabbed his 2-year-old
nephew, Winta Mehari's son, and carried him back to the second-floor
apartment where the Gebreselassie brothers lived, witnesses said.
Asmeron Gebreselassie also shot his brother-in-law Yehtram Mehari in the
foot, witnesses told police. Another brother, Angersom Mehari, jumped out a
window and suffered a broken back. A third brother, Merhawi Mehari, hid in
the closet and avoided injury.
J. Tony Serra, who represented Tewodros Gebreselassie, said his client had
not planned the attack or let his brother into the home.
"It's a grave miscarriage of justice," Serra said.
Merhawi Mehari, who lost his mother, sister and brother in the attack, said
Tuesday that although his family is still grieving, relatives are pleased
with the outcome. "They deserve this," he said of the verdict.
Both brothers took the stand during the trial, and Asmeron Gebreselassie
said he fired in self-defense after being confronted by two Mehari brothers
with guns. Prosecutors said all the victims had been unarmed.
Community divided
Many residents of the apartment complex where the slayings occurred are of
Eritrean or Ethiopian descent, and North Oakland is the hub of Eritrean
culture in Northern California. The triple-murder trial divided the normally
close-knit Eritrean community, with the defendants' supporters sitting on
the opposite side of the courtroom from the victims' relatives.
The trial was delayed for many years because Asmeron Gebreselassie, who made
frequent outbursts in court, hired and fired numerous attorneys. At one
point, he represented himself.
As he was led from the courtroom Tuesday in handcuffs, Gebreselassie
continued to talk, asking to address Judge Naka-hara. The judge motioned for
the bailiff to escort him away.
E-mail the writers at jberton@sfchronicle.com and hlee@sfchronicle.com.
Read more:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/05/31/BAH71JME19.DTL#ixzz1O1WnVRM5
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