Fresno-area teenager who evaded police gets a break from judge, won’t go to prison
A 19-year-old Clovis man, who was facing up to 27 years in prison for his connection with the Calwa gang, was sentenced to probation Monday as part of a plea deal with prosecutors.
Fady Barhoum was facing 11 felony charges, including evading police, assault with a deadly weapon and possession of a firearm. Had he gone to trial and been convicted, he could have been sent to prison for nearly three decades.
Instead, Barhoum pleaded no contest to one felony count of evading a peace officer/reckless driving for the benefit of a gang. That count carried a maximum of four years in prison, but Barhoum’s attorney Eric Schweitzer was able to convince Judge Michael Idiart to grant his client leniency.
Schweitzer presented the court with letters of support for Barhoum. He also pointed out that his client did not have a criminal history and is not a gang member.
Barhoum was given a four-year prison sentence that was suspended in favor of probation. The remaining counts were dismissed. The judge also required Barhoum to stay out of gangs, and serve 220 days in jail.
Adding up the time he has already spent in jail, Barhoum should be released in about three weeks.
Schweitzer described Barhoum as someone who was subjected to a lot of peer pressure and was traumatized by the death of his friend Isiah Murrietta-Golding. In 2017, the 16-year-old Murrietta-Golding was running from police when an officer shot and killed him.
“After seeing his friend shot to death, he suffered from extreme stress and acted in fear that the same fate would befall him,” Schweitzer said.
The shooting of Murrietta-Golding heightened scrutiny of the police department and sparked calls for police reform. The city of Fresno agreed to pay $4.9 million to Murrietta-Golding’s mother, Christina Lopez.
“The scars of police killing unarmed people and later denying blame are deep and long lasting,” Schweitzer said.
Barhoum was one of 14 people arrested in October, 2021 along with several Calwa gang whose members are accused of murder, illegally selling firearms, and assault with a deadly weapon.
Among the defendants is Murrietta-Golding’s mother.
Lopez is charged with 21 felony charges, including conspiracy to provide a gun to someone under the age of 21, conspiracy to destroy evidence and conspiracy to commit assault with a deadly weapon.
Her next court appearance is February 2 in Dept. 33.
This story was originally published January 4, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
