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Thread: Kori Ali Muhammad Sentenced to LWOP in 2017 CA Multiple Hate Crime Murders

  1. #31
    Administrator Helen's Avatar
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    Capital murder trial of Kori Muhammad underway

    By Angelica Lei Lani
    YourCentralValley.com

    FRESNO, California (KSEE) – On Monday, the capital murder trial of accused spree-killer, Kori Muhammad, got underway.

    Muhammad is accused of killing four men, three of them during a shooting spree in downtown Fresno in 2017.

    Police say Muhammad told them he killed the men because they were white.

    Muhammad is also accused of killing 25-year-old Carl Williams, a security guard at a Motel 6 on Blackstone, near Ashlan.

    In court, both sides started with opening statements. The defense focusing on Muhammad’s mental health, the prosecution focusing on facts and the chain of events leading to the four Fresno men being killed, starting back on April 13, 2017.

    “This first murder was captured on video and the defendant later admits to every single murder and attempted murder on multiple occasions,” Kelly Smith with the Fresno County District Attorney’s office.

    The defense was next saying the alleged actions by Muhammad were due to mental health issues he’s had since 1992.

    “In this matter, the evidence is going to show that Mr. Muhammad is a very sick man and that these actions were taken by a man with serve mental health issues,” Richard Beshwate, Muhammad’s lawyer.

    The main focus on Monday, the chain of events leading to the murder of Williams.

    The first witness, Roy Wheaton, was called by the prosecution. Wheaton, who’s not from the area, had stopped at the Motel 6 to sleep, as he was passing through.

    Wheaton says after the shooting he noticed a woman trying to leave. In court, Smith played surveillance video of what appears to be that moment.

    “I remember making it clear to her that she couldn’t leave because she knew the person and there had been a shooting and police were on their way and she should remain,” Wheaton said.

    Throughout the day, others took to the stand, including Fresno Police officers and the Motel 6-night auditor.

    He says he the disturbance started over that woman, identified as Lisa R. Martin, having an unregistered guest, identified as Muhammad.

    Video shows Williams talking to Martin, Muhammad was nearby.

    Another video shown in court shows the moment Muhammad pulls out a gun and shoots Williams.

    Williams’ family was in the courtroom, they walked out at that moment.

    The mother of Mark Gassett, one of the downtown shooting victims, was also in the courtroom, showing support.

    “It’s very sad to have to see everything that happened,” Rosie Wagner, Gassett’s mother said.

    One juror was excused after the lunch break due to a medical condition, an alternative juror was selected. The court continues on Tuesday at 9 a.m.

    https://www.yourcentralvalley.com/ne...ad-underway-2/
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

  2. #32
    Administrator Helen's Avatar
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    Racial murder motivation part of chilling confession from quad killer

    By Corin Hoggard
    ABC 30 News

    FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- A killer's confessed to shooting four people to death and targeting three of them because of their race.

    "I didn't want to do nothing to law enforcement so I just found some white men to kill," said Kori Muhammad in his confession to police.

    The second week of his capital murder trial started with his first police interview after his arrest.

    From the moment police arrested him, the shooter knew exactly why.

    "Because I killed those people and the security guard," he said.

    He gunned down security guard Carl Williams on April 13, 2017, telling police Williams had harassed him.

    Surveillance video from the motel where it happened told a different story of a sneak attack while Williams talked to the defendant's friend.

    Muhammad hid out after that, but got WiFi long enough to see himself named as a suspect on ABC30 five days later.

    That's when he changed his plans from trying to leave town to walking downtown and becoming a serial killer with race on his mind.

    "When I walked up to the (PG&E) truck, I saw a Mexican driver and a white guy," he said. "I didn't want to target the driver because he was Mexican so I shot the white dude."

    Zackary Randalls was the first white man he found. Mark Gassett and David Jackson followed.

    And the defendant laid out his decisions in detail to police detectives.

    "This is telling me that he knows exactly what's going on," said Fresno police detective Miguel Alvarez. "He knows exactly what occurred earlier."

    But the defendant didn't make it through the entire confession, deciding to disappear and leave an empty chair behind as he's done a few times during the trial.

    "Mr. Muhammad informs me he would like to go back to his cell," defense attorney Richard Beshwate told Judge Jonathan Conklin.

    "Recognizing your right to be present, you're asking to return back to your cell?" the judge asked Muhammad.

    "Yes sir," he responded.

    Before he left court Monday, the defendant flashed a Nation of Islam newsletter for cameras, and his religion -- denounced by mainstream Muslims -- could be part of the case against him.

    His confession included a few off the wall comments about his deadly magic, but investigators have argued his belief system may sound like conspiracy theories, but it's openly discussed and accepted in the Nation of Islam.

    The defense will argue it's evidence he was insane at the time.

    https://abc30.com/racial-murder-moti...iller/5998434/
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

  3. #33
    Administrator Helen's Avatar
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    ‘I wanted to kill them, yes’: Kori Muhammad takes the stand in murder trial

    By Angelica Lei Lani
    yourcentralvalley.com


    FRESNO, California (KGPE) – On Tuesday, Kori Muhammad took the stand in his trial on murder charges.

    Muhammad’s attorney’s advised him not to testify, but Muhammad wanted to take the stand.

    He once again admitted to killing the four men in Fresno. Muhammad compared what he did to the coronavirus a few times throughout his testimony.

    “Just like the coronavirus killing people presently I wanted to kill them, yes,” said Muhammad.

    When Muhammad took the stand in court, he raised his right fist as he was sworn-in.

    Fresno County prosecutor Kelly Smith asked, “Firing a weapon at someone’s there that night you knew that it could injure a person, correct?”

    “Obviously,” Muhammad said.

    Muhammad is accused of killing Motel 6 security guard Carl Williams on April 13, 2017.

    Then five days later gunning down, Zackary Randalls, Mark Gassett, and David Jackson, during a shooting spree in downtown Fresno because they were white.

    “When you took aim at these individuals, you intended to kill all three of them didn’t you?” Smith asked.

    “Yep,” Muhammad said.

    Muhammad recognized throughout his testimony he intended to kill.

    “I kill them. yes, he’s dead, so it happen,” Muhammad said.

    Smith questioning Muhammad on every murder, “Mr. Muhammad I’m asking you, the second you saw the PG&E truck you were going to find out if there was a white person in it, if there was, you were going to shoot him dead, isn’t that right?”

    Muhammad replied, “yes.”

    He said, “It was written and 25,000 years ago that this had to happen.”

    “God is going to destroy white men in particular, specifically,” Muhammad said.

    “I’m asking you, sir, I’m not asking about God,” Smith said.

    “I am a God,” Muhammad proclaimed.

    Muhammad compared the murders he committed to the coronavirus.

    “Why did you shoot him again if he was on the ground?” Smith asked.

    “To kill him, just like the Coronavirus is killing white men right now,” Muhammad said.

    Closing arguments will take place on Thursday. The jury is expected to reach a verdict on just the murders themselves sometime next week.

    https://www.yourcentralvalley.com/ne...-murder-trial/
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

  4. #34
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    Kori Muhammad trial: Jury reaches verdict for mass shooter who killed four

    By Robert Rodriguez
    Fresno Bee


    Kori Ali Muhammad, who went on a deadly shooting spree in downtown Fresno in 2017, was found guilty of killing four men and could face the death penalty, a Fresno County jury decided on Wednesday.

    The jury convicted Muhammad of first degree murder in the death of David Jackson, 58, who was fatally shot on April 18, 2017 outside of Catholic Charities on Fulton Street. Muhammad’s two other victims that day were Mark Gassett, 37, and 34-year-old Zackary Randalls.

    Muhammad was found guilty of second degree murder for the killing of security guard Carl Williams III, 25, at a Motel 6 in central Fresno five days earlier.

    The jury also found him guilty of four counts of attempted murder, discharging a gun into a home, and being a felon in possession of gun.

    The jury returned its verdict after deliberating for more than three days this week.

    But the reading of the verdict was not without a few hiccups. There was some confusion about whether the jury had found Muhammad acted with premeditation on the attempted murder charge.

    When Judge Jon Conklin asked the jury if that’s what they agreed to, one juror said no.

    The jury was sent back to the jury room where they discussed it and returned with a finding of no premeditation on the attempted murder charge, said Richard Beshwate Jr. co-counsel for Muhammad.

    Prosecuting the case was Kelly Smith, deputy district attorney.

    The case now moves on to the second phase of the trial: determining if the 41-year-old Muhammad was sane at the time of the murders and if he should receive the death penalty. The penalty phase begins Monday.

    Throughout his trial, Muhammad has never denied killing the men.

    He told police in an interview that he was angry about feeling disrespected because he was black and vowed to take out his revenge on white men.

    His defense attorneys, Beshwate and Antonio Alvarez have argued Muhammad was not thinking clearly during that period of his life. They said he has a history of mental illness, including schizophrenia, delusions and hearing voices.

    If the jury decides Muhammad is guilty by reason of insanity, he will be placed by the California Department of State Hospitals into one of its facilities for the mentally ill. He will remain there for the rest of his life.

    However, if the jury determines Mohammad was sane, they would decide whether he should be sentenced to death or spend the rest of his life in prison.

    Family members of the victims regularly attended the weeks-long trial. At times, crying could be heard coming from people sitting in the audience. It was difficult for some to watch the surveillance video from the Motel 6 shooting.

    In it, Muhammad is seen drawing his .357 revolver and firing several rounds at Williams, who staggered backwards then falls to the ground.

    One witness described how Muhammad casually came up on Pacific Gas & Electric employee Randalls and shot him several times as he was sitting in a company truck. Randalls later died at the hospital.

    Throughout the trial. which lasted for several weeks, Muhammad was reminded by Judge Jon Conklin not to be disruptive.

    For the most part, Muhammad kept quiet and the only disruption came when he would ask the judge’s permission to leave the hearing and return to his jail cell.

    The Muhammad trial was one of several court cases interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Most court activity was suspended on March 23 to prevent the highly contagious virus from spreading.

    The jury had deliberated for one day before the court closure began. But the court’s presiding judge allowed the jury to continue deliberating during the court closure. They returned to deliberate on Monday after a week off.

    https://www.fresnobee.com/news/local...241374011.html
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

  5. #35
    Administrator Heidi's Avatar
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    Insanity plea dropped, death penalty dropped in Kori Muhammad murder trial

    There will be no death penalty and no sanity phase of the capital murder trial against killer Kori Muhammad.

    A jury convicted the 42-year-old on three counts of second-degree murder and one count of first-degree murder on Wednesday for killing Carl Williams, Zack Randalls, Mark Gassett, and David Jackson in April 2017.

    He was eligible for the death penalty because there were multiple murders and one of them was first degree, plus the jury found Muhammad committed a hate crime based on race.

    The sanity phase of the trial was scheduled to start next week, but in a surprise deal Friday, Muhammad dropped his insanity plea in exchange for prosecutors dropping the death penalty.

    A judge will now sentence the defendant to life in prison without the possibility of parole next month.

    The long trial was interrupted by coronavirus court closures, so the jury started deliberations in March, left for four weeks, and came back to finish up this week.

    https://abc30.com/insanity-plea-drop...trial/6127639/
    An uninformed opponent is a dangerous opponent.

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  6. #36
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    Black Fresno man ‘fed up’ with racism when he killed 4 white men gets life in prison

    By Associated Press

    A man convicted of killing four white men in 2017 in a race-related rampage in Fresno was sentenced Friday to life in prison without the possibility of parole, prosecutors said.

    Kori Ali Muhammad’s sentence comes three years after he said he was fed up with racism against black people and shot several people, killing four white men.

    He was convicted by a Fresno County jury in April of first-degree murder, second-degree murder, attempted murder and other crimes, the Fresno County district attorney’s office said.

    He withdrew a previous plea of not guilty by reason of insanity, and prosecutors said they wouldn’t seek the death penalty.

    Muhammad, a black man whose defense said he was mentally ill, was accused of a series of shooting attacks on white men in April 2017 in Fresno.

    In a recorded confession to investigators that was played at his trial, Muhammad said he shot Motel 6 security guard Carl Williams III and tried to kill another guard on April 13 because he felt he had been disrespected when he went to visit a friend.

    A security camera recording showed Muhammad coming up behind Williams, 25, and shooting him.

    “It starts taking its toll on you, and you get fed up with the racism,” Muhammad said. “You get tired of letting things slide.”

    While on the run after the shooting, Muhammad learned that he was wanted for Williams’ killing. On the recording, Muhammad said that if he was “going down for murder” the best thing was to “kill as many white men” as he could.

    On April 18, 2017, Muhammad drove through downtown shooting at white men, he said. He surrendered to police after, at one point, firing nearly 20 shots in less than a minute, authorities said.
    Zachary Randalls, 34, was shot in a Pacific Gas & Electric truck.

    “When I walked up to the truck, I saw a Mexican driver and a white guy,” Muhammad said. “I didn’t want to target the driver because he was Mexican so I shot the white dude.”

    He also was convicted of killing Mark Gassett, 37, and David Jackson, 58, and trying to shoot three other men.

    Muhammad was convicted of first-degree murder for Jackson’s slaying; second-degree murder for Williams, Randalls and Gassett; four counts of attempted murder; one count of shooting at an occupied vehicle; and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

    https://ktla.com/news/black-fresno-m...ife-in-prison/
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

  7. #37
    Senior Member CnCP Legend Mike's Avatar
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    So why isn't this guy getting charged by the feds for 4x hate crime murders?
    "There is a point in the history of a society when it becomes so pathologically soft and tender that among other things it sides even with those who harm it, criminals, and does this quite seriously and honestly. Punishing somehow seems unfair to it, and it is certain that imagining ‘punishment’ and ‘being supposed to punish’ hurts it, arouses fear in it." Friedrich Nietzsche

  8. #38
    Moderator Bobsicles's Avatar
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    This is California, and he’s a black Muslim who killed four white people. That’s why he avoided the death penalty and probably why the feds aren’t charging him
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