Accused In Strip Club Shooting Found Guilty
Posted April 1, 2010 12:13 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
After deliberating for three days, the jury in the John O’Keefe murder trial has found one of the accused guilty of second-degree murder and the other of manslaughter.
The 12 men and women had to decide whether Edward Paredes and Awet Zekarias, now 24 and 25, meant to kill O’Keefe two years ago outside a downtown strip club. After hearing the arguments in trial, the jurors found there was enough evidence to convict Paredes on the more serious charge.
The lead investigator, Det. Sgt. Dan Neilsen, read a statement from O’Keefe’s relatives after the verdict came down.
“While our family is relieved the trial is over all of our lives are changed forever. It is still hard for us to believe our peace-loving and friendly son John would suffer such a violent death.”
“The family is satisfied with the verdict,” Neilsen said. “I hope they get some solace and sense of closure and can carry on and come to terms with what happened.”
The Crown had accused both Paredes and Zekarias of second-degree murder in the death of O’Keefe on January 12, 2008. The 42-year-old father had just left a pub nearby and was walking on Yonge Street when he was hit by a stray bullet from Paredes’ gun.
Prosecutors further claimed Zekarias urged Paredes to shoot the gun. Zakerias denied he wanted anything other than to scare the Brass Rail bouncers, who had tossed the pair out earlier in the evening.
But several witnesses testified they heard Zekarias ask for the gun and say, “Smoke them,” “Use it,” “You guys are gonna be dead,” and “You should do these guys.”
After the gun went off and O’Keefe collapsed on the sidewalk, Paredes and Zakerias fled the scene. They were arrested a short time later.
“If [Paredes] had only meant to scare Knox, he could have just racked the gun as he did earlier,” Crown Prosecutor Hank Goody said in his closing address.
“There was no need for [him] to actually pull the trigger.”
Paredes’ lawyer, Robert Tomovski, argued the bouncer humiliated his client and provoked him to fire his gun.
Paredes and Zekarias will be sentenced on July 5. Paredes faces between ten and 25 years in jail. Zekarias will serve no more than 10 years.
