Germantown Student Murders: 4th Suspect Arrested

MONTGOMERY VILLAGE, MD — A fourth suspect has been charged in the murders of two Germantown high school seniors who were shot in the head the night before their graduation.

The two Germantown students — Shadi Adi Najjar, 17, and Artem S. Ziberov, 18 — were gunned down while sitting in a car in Montgomery Village June 5, one night before they were set to graduate from Northwest High School, police said.

Police arrested Rony Alexander Galicia, 25, of Frederick Road in Germantown Friday and charged him with first-degree murder and conspiracy to murder the two students.

Three other suspects were arrested on June 17 and charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder. They are identified as: Edgar Garcia-Gaona, 24, of Lamont Lane in Gaithersburg; his brother, Roger Garcia, 19, of Frederick Road in Germantown; and Jose Ovilson Canales-Yanez, 25, of Cape Jasmine Way in Gaithersburg.

Police said DNA at the crime scene belonged to Galicia. Bond information for him is not yet available.

In a press conference, police said leads from the public helped detectives find the murder suspects and link the theft of drugs and an iPad from the girlfriend of one of the accused to one of the dead students.

Naijar's father, Adi Najjar, denounced the insinuation that his son would steal, saying his son had been given everything and was a sweet boy. The elder Najjar says his son was killed because the teen refused to join the gang that killed him. He also said the accusation that Shadi stole an iPad from a woman involved with one of the suspect "a lie."

"My boy is not here to defend himself," Najjar told WTOP. "He's a beautiful young man."

A friend of Najjar's told detectives that in December or January, Najjar had stolen drugs from a woman during a drug transaction. Just before his death, Najjar told the friend he was planning to sell a graduation ticket to Roger Garcia. That was the last communication from Najjar before his death; it happened about half an hour before he died from multiple gunshot wounds.

Detectives learned that Roger Garcia's brother, Edgar Garcia-Gaona, was shot on Feb. 10, 2017, during a botched drug deal, also in Montgomery Village. Garcia-Gaona was reported to have been carrying a weapon and exchanged gunshots with his assailants.

Kara Yanez is believed to be the victim of the rumored drug-related robbery committed by Najjar, police say. In a report filed by Yanez on Dec. 14, 2016, Yanez said she was approached by a blue Honda Civic while she was walking, and a front-seat passenger grabbed her Apple iPad. She was dragged by the car about 50 feet.

Shooting Details, Parent Reaction

At 10:46 p.m. June 5, 911 dispatchers received a call from a resident reporting the sounds of shots fired in the 8200 block of Gallery Court. When police officers arrived they found the two males inside a vehicle that was parked on Gallery Court. Both victims appeared to be suffering from apparent gunshot wounds and died from their injuries at the scene.

Capt. Darren Francke said police recovered 30 shell casings at the scene and have confirmed that multiple caliber of weapons were used. They believe there was more than one shooter in the incident, and they think there's a connection between at least one of the victims and the suspects.

See Related:

• Germantown Murders: Father Says Lies Spread About Dead Son, Denies Theft As Motive
• Candlelight Vigil Planned For Slain Germantown Teens
• Germantown Teen Murders: Police Need Help Finding Suspects
• 2 Germantown Teens Shot Night Before Graduation: Update

Francke said one of the victims was shot ten times, and the other was shot four times. The other rounds hit their vehicle and also went into the air in the neighborhood.

Francke also confirmed that the audio recording of the shooting, given to police by a neighbor on Galley Court, was authentic.

"You have multiple shooters, multiple caliber weapons used, and a very violent act," Francke said. "I know we can offer the resources and the caring and the compassion to the people that have information - I don't think the same can be said for the individuals who carried out this act."

A candlelight vigil was held to remember the students at the school's football stadium. Students and the victim's parents will gather and share stories of Najjar and Ziberov at the vigil. Northwest High School's principal, Jimmy D'Andrea, said he thinks the vigil is an "important part of moving forward," especially since the students have not had the chance to grieve together since graduation.

D'Andrea said local businesses have contributed to the vigil, including candles from Dunkin Donuts, which Najjar made a class project video about his love of the doughnuts, Montgomery Community Media noted.

Shadi Adi Najjar's father, Adi Najjar, told WTOP that Montgomery County Police detectives came to his house at 4:30 a.m. and told him that his son was shot.

"I need an answer; I need to know who killed my boy. Why?" Najjar said. "That's what I am waiting for — for someone who has the courage, the guts, no fear to come forward to tell us why and who did this to him."

Photo of suspects: Rony Alexander Galicia (top left); Edgar Garcia-Gaona (top right); Jose Ovilson Canales-Yanez (bottom left); Roger Garcia (bottom right) via Montgomery County Police.

Photo of victims: Shadi Najjar and Artem Ziberov via Montgomery Community Media