Four people have been jailed today (Friday, March 22) following the murder of business student Bereket Selomun, who was found dead in Stevenage in 2022.
Bereket was described by his brother, Michale Solomun, as "a gregarious, courteous, altruistic, generous, hard-working, and peace-loving young man" whose "ambition was to study Business Management and go on to run his own business one day".
Here is a timeline of key dates in his murder case.
July 7, 2022
Bereket's body was found by a dog walker in woodland off Brittain Way, next to Fairlands Valley Park, shortly before 7.30am.
The dog walker shook Bereket's foot and, receiving no response, called the police. They put a cordon in place and asked members of the public to avoid the area.
July 12, 2022
Police identified the body as being that of Bereket, aged just 20. He had suffered multiple stab wounds and was pronounced dead at the scene.
He had come to England from Eritrea as a teenager and was granted asylum in the UK. He was a permanent resident of Stevenage.
His next of kin in this country were informed and are being supported by specialist officers. Bereket's family in Eritrea were also made aware of his death.
July 14, 2022
Six arrests were initially made in connection with Bereket's death.
Five men were arrested on suspicion of murder, with a sixth man arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender.
All were aged in their 20s, and were held in police custody.
July 16, 2022
Five men, all from the Stevenage area, were then charged with murdering Bereket, namely:
- 23-year-old Jelani Omar, of Plash Drive
- 23-year-old Robel Msgane, of no fixed abode
- 23-year-old Malake Fiseha, of Manor View
- A 20-year-old man from Stevenage
- 18-year-old Natnael Hadgu, of Ripon Road
All five men were refused bail, and were remanded into custody at St Albans Magistrates' Court.
The man who had been arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender was released while police continued their enquiries.
July 19, 2022
A trial date was set for the five men charged with murder. They appeared at St Albans Crown Court via video link from HMP Bedford.
One defendant was provided with a Tigre interpreter, while the others raised concerns that they had not been provided with a Tigrinya interpreter, which is a different language.
The judge agreed that appropriate interpreters would need to be found ahead of the trial, provisionally set for January 3, 2023.
February 28, 2023
The trial of Jelani Omar, Malake Fiseha and Natnael Hadgu, all charged with murder, began on this day. All denied the charge.
Robel Msgane was accused of assisting an offender.
Prosecutor Russell Pyne said that the dog walker who found Bereket's body "could see the young male's shirt was white at the top, but red everywhere else". He had been stabbed a minimum of eight times.
March 30, 2023
At the end of the trial, Jelani Omar was found guilty of murder, while Malake Fiseha and Natnael Hadgu were found guilty of manslaughter and not guilty of murder.
Robel Msgane was found guilty of assisting an offender.
The case against the fifth man was discontinued in September 2022.
March 22, 2024
Jelani Omar, Malake Fiseha, Natnael Hadgu and Robel Msgane were all handed jail sentences at St Albans Crown Court today.
Jelani Omar was given a life sentence, and must serve a minimum of 22 years before he is released. He will be automatically deported.
Malake Fiseha and Natnael Hadgu were jailed for nine years, and also face automatic deportation at the end of their sentences.
Robel Msgane, meanwhile, faces four years behind bars and an automatic deportation at the end of his sentence too.
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