Maryland’s Highest Court Upholds Murder Conviction for Man who Helped Kill Two Northwest High School Students in Montgomery Village in 2017 

In June 2017, on the eve of their graduation from Northwest High School, Shadi Ali Najjar, 17, and Artem Ziberov, 18, were ambushed and shot multiple times while they sat in a parked car in Montgomery Village. The Maryland Court of Appeals released its opinion today, affirming the second-degree murder convictions of Roger Garcia, 24, of Germantown, for his involvement in their deaths.  Garcia will continue serving his 100-year prison sentence.

Garcia was one of three men convicted in the murders. Co-defendants, Jose Canales-Yanez, and Edgar Garcia-Gaona, were each found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to life without the possibility of parole. The Maryland Court of Appeals reinstated the murder conviction for co-defendant, Rony Galicia, on June 27th, 2022. He is also serving a life sentence without parole.

According to the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office, at issue was whether a valid legal foundation exists to convict a defendant of second-degree intent to kill murder, as an accessory before the fact. The Court of Special Appeals held that it is conceivable for an accessory before the fact to aid, on impulse and without premeditation, another in the commission of a homicide with the intent to kill. Today the higher Court of Appeals affirmed that decision.

“Following this latest opinion, the convictions of all four co-defendants in the murders of two high school seniors in our community have been affirmed in the appeals process. Roger Garcia and the others who played a role in taking these young lives are being held responsible. Justice is served by the court’s decision. Though it will not bring the teenagers back, we hope this provides some relief for the families of  Shadi Ali Najjar and Artem Ziberov. Our hearts remain with them today,” said State’s Attorney John McCarthy.

You can read the full opinion here:
https://www.courts.state.md.us/data/opinions/coa/2022/62a21.pdf

Recent Stories

The City of Rockville is hosting its annual Skate Jam event at the Rockville Skate Park (355 Martins Lane) on Saturday, April 20 from 9am until 5pm.

This month marks 22 years since Ganignunt “Felicia” Aiemsakul was last seen in the Gaithersburg/Laytonsville area at approximately 2:00 a.m. on March 4, 2002. Her ex-boyfriend told authorities that they…

We associate this Upcounty favorite with summer outdoor fun–but that’s not what the lake’s creators had in mind when it was built. 

The Montgomery County Council will meet on Tuesday, March 19th. Full agenda below courtesy Montgomery County:

Bethesda Film Fest

The 2024 Bethesda Film Fest will feature five short documentary films made by filmmakers from Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. Screenings will be held Friday April 5 and Saturday April 6 at Landmark Bethesda Row Cinema.

×

Subscribe to our mailing list