Three suspects have been arrested last Friday for killing two Maryland teens the night before their graduation. The suspects were identified as Edgar Garcia-Gaona, 24, of Gaithersburg, 19-year-old Roger Garcia, of Germantown, and 25-year-old Jose Ovilson Canales-Yanez, of Gaithersburg. Each suspect is charged with two counts of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder.
The killing was done as a 'retaliation'
Hours before their graduation, Shadi Adi Najjar and Artem Ziberov were fatally shot. The two dead bodies were found in a blue Honda Civic parked in the 8200 Block of Gallery Court, with lights on and engines still running.
Police have released a search warrant at the residences of the suspects. In their search for evidence, the police have recovered shell casings at the residence of Edgar Garcia-Gaona. CBS News reports 11 out of the 30 shell casings found at the crime scene were similar to those casings recovered at the house of the said suspect. Garcia-Gaona were also found in possession of a partial box of Glaser .40-caliber ammunition.
Upon investigation, authorities found the two teens were killed in revenge for a robbery that Shadi Adi Najjar was rumored to have committed. They connected their suspicion to a robbery report filed by the girlfriend of Canales-Yanez in December 2016. According to the girlfriend, the thief was riding in a blue Honda Civic when he grabbed her iPad.
The authorities believed that the thief referred to by Yanez's girlfriend is the homicide victim Shadi Adi Najja.
When asked about Artem Ziberov, the police chief said they have not sorted out yet if there is a motive of killing Artem Ziberov or his death is just incidental to the killing of Najjar. According to authorities, detectives have made arrests in this case but this is by no means should be interpreted that the investigation has concluded.
Graduation went forward as planned
Friends and family of the two victims were devastated by what happened to the two men who were killed.
"May God punish who did this to my son. I'm sure the police will find who killed my boy," Najjar's father said on June 6, while holding his son's cap and gown.
The graduation at Northwest High went forward despite what happened to Najjar and Ziberov.
Before starting the ceremony, Principal Jimmy D'Andrea asked for a moment of silence to offer condolences to the family of the two victims. Classmates and friends bowed in silence, with heavy hearts, as principal D'Andrea talks about the memories of the two teens. Najjar and Ziberov have both excelled in studies and would have graduated with honors if only they were not shot and killed.
