Two men who forced their way into a Lynnwood apartment in January were acquitted of first-degree robbery Thursday, but each was convicted of seven lesser offenses.
The verdict will shave decades off prison sentences for Tomas Solomon Afeworki, 26, of Lynnwood, and Michael H. Gebrehiwet, 26, of Seattle, lawyers said.
They were accused of terrifying three women during a home invasion in which they sought drugs and money. Jurors heard a recording of one woman’s panicky conversation with a police dispatcher when she secretly called 911.
Both men were convicted of first-degree burglary, three counts of unlawful imprisonment and three counts of misdemeanor fourth-degree assault.
Besides robbery, both were acquitted of multiple kidnapping and second-degree assault charges.
As charged, they could have served 50 or more years behind bars. Both men have prior criminal records. Under the verdict, they are both looking at about five or six years in prison.
Snohomish County Superior Court Judge Gerald Knight is scheduled to sentence them Oct. 14.
In the original charges, deputy prosecutor Tobin Darrow said the men were armed with a pistol. The firearms enhancements alone would have sent each man to prison for a minimum of 40 years.
After the trial, jurors said prosecutors didn’t prove the men had a firearm. A pistol was found in the apartment a couple of days after the incident, but a friend of the victims had moved it and unloaded it before police arrived.
Afeworki’s Everett defense attorney, Steve Garvey, said the jury’s decisions “falls into the defense victory category.”
Mickey Krom of Everett, who represented Gebrehiwet, said he was pleased by the reduced amount of time his client will serve.
During closing arguments, Krom argued that the three victims lied to police and on the witness stand, including one who testified that she had been struck 20 or 30 times by the invaders.
Snohomish County deputies arrived at the apartment near Lynnwood while the two defendants were still there. One was tackled by a deputy. A deputy and a police dog found the second hiding in a hollow stump.
Reporter Jim Haley: 425-339-3447 or haley@heraldnet.com.
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