EVERETT — A Lynnwood man faces decades behind bars after a Snohomish County jury decided he killed his cousin.
Filmon Habtemariam, 27, was convicted Wednesday of first- degree murder in the 2008 shooting death of Tekelet Habtemariam. Jurors began deliberating Tuesday afternoon. They also convicted the defendant of possessing a stolen firearm, unlawful possession of a gun and tampering with a witness.
He is scheduled to be sentenced July 30.
Tekelet Habtemariam, 27, was driving the accused and another man home from an Everett bar early July 8, Snohomish County deputy prosecutor Chris Dickinson wrote in charging papers.
The defendant was sitting in the back seat, behind his cousin, when he asked the victim to stop the car, according to court papers. Filmon Habtemariam is accused of then pulling out a handgun he took from his roommate and shooting his cousin in the back of the head three times, killing him instantly, Dickinson said.
The car crashed into a fence and the defendant ran off. He was arrested a short distance away.
Police believe the defendant went home before his arrest. They recovered a .38-caliber handgun in some bushes not far from the car, according to court documents. Detectives also reported finding bloody clothing in the defendant’s apartment, Dickinson wrote.
Filmon Habtemariam told detectives after his arrest that he didn’t know anything about his cousin’s death. He told them he had been selling drugs all day at a crack house.
The defendant underwent a mental health evaluation after questions arose about his competency and ability to assist in his defense. Court records show he was hospitalized after receiving a grazing gunshot wound to the head during a gang-related shooting at a Seattle nightclub in 2000. He later was treated for unspecified mental health issues.
Diana Hefley: 425-339-3463, hefley@heraldnet.com.
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