Two alleged killers of Fresno State student will face murder trial, judge rules
Two Fresno men accused of gunning down a promising young engineer four years ago will go to trial for his alleged murder.
Devon Fisher, 20, and Kenneth Lee, 22, are charged with the murder of 25-year-old Barkete Shita in what police said was a disagreement with fatal consequences.
Judge Arlan Harrell heard more than two days of testimony during the preliminary hearing before deciding Friday to hold Fisher and Lee over for trial. Both defendants were teenagers at the time of the shooting.
If convicted, each could serve up to 45-years-to-life in prison.
Police said Shita, who was finishing up his degree at Fresno State, was shot to death near Blackstone and Dakota avenues on the afternoon of Sept. 29, 2016, not far from the Caltrans office where he worked.
Police say Shita came across three men at the Shell gasoline station at Dakota and Blackstone and words were exchanged. Shita drove off, ending up about a block north in the parking lot of the Jiffy Lube.
A few moments later, two armed 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.
Shita left behind a fiance and two young boys.
Prosecuting the case is Amy Freeman. The defense counselors are Franz Criego for Fisher and Linden Lindahl representing Lee.
