Men who killed Fresno State engineering student sign plea deal, won’t serve life in prison
The two men charged with the 2016 murder of Fresno State engineering student Barkete Shita have pleaded guilty to lesser charges as part of a plea agreement with the Fresno County District Attorney’s Office.
Devon Fisher, 21, and Kenneth Lee, 22, were originally charged with murder and were potentially facing life in prison in what police described as a disagreement with fatal consequences.
Fisher, who was represented by Franz Criego, pleaded no contest Thursday to voluntary manslaughter and will be sentenced to 21 years on Nov. 19.
Lee, defended by Linden Lindahl, pleaded guilty on June 8 to participating in a criminal street gang, possession of a firearm and assault with a firearm. Prosecutor Amy Freeman dropped the murder charge against Lee who will be sentenced on Nov. 15.
Freeman said she was pleased with the outcome as was Shita’s family.
“They were in agreement with the plea agreement but are still grieving the loss of Barkete as he was such a light to their family,” Freeman said.
The 25-year-old Shita leaves behind a fiancée and two children. He also worked at Caltrans while finishing his degree at Fresno State.
Police said Shita was fatally shot during the afternoon of Sept. 29, 2016 in central Fresno. While driving, he came across three men at the Shell gasoline station at Dakota and Blackstone. Words were exchanged and Shita drove off. He ended up about a block north in the parking lot of a Jiffy Lube.
A few moments later, two of the men from the previous encounter approached Shita and began firing, wounding him, police said.
Shita drove away as the gunmen continued to shoot. He traveled north in the southbound lanes of Blackstone, crashing head-on into a car at Griffith Way.
He was taken to Community Regional Medical Center, where he died of multiple gunshot wounds.
This story was originally published October 22, 2021 at 8:00 AM.
