Germantown Murders: Father Says Lies Spread About Dead Son, Denies Theft As Motive

(Updated at 5:55 p.m. Sunday) MONTGOMERY VILLAGE, MD — Three suspects have been charged in the murders of two Germantown high school seniors who were shot in the head the night before their graduation, but one of the victims may have stolen drugs in recent months that provoked that attack, authorities say. At a Saturday night press conference, Montgomery County 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.

The two students — Shadi Adi Najjar, 17, of Breezedale Lane in Germantown, and Artem S. Ziberov, 18, of Flag Harbor Drive in Germantown — 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.

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.”

On Saturday police arrested Edgar Garcia-Gaona, 24, of the 100 block of Lamont Lane in Gaithersburg; his brother, Roger Garcia, 19, of the 19500 block of Frederick Road in Germantown; and Jose Ovilson Canales-Yanez, 25, of the 18400 block of Cape Jasmine Way in Gaithersburg. All three men are charged with two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder.

Investigators believe the shootings were retaliation for Najjar’s robbery of Kara Yanez, who was the girlfriend and may now be married to suspect Jose Canales-Yanez. It's unknown if there was a motive for killing Ziberov, or if his death was incidental to the killing of Najjarj, police say.

"Although detectives have made these three arrests, this by no means should be interpreted that the investigation has concluded,” said Chief Thomas Manger. “These most recent developments are the result of the community taking an active role in this investigation. It is believed that, considering the progress made over the past 36 hours, there are additional sources of information who have yet to come forward.”

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 Friday that 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:

• 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.

“This is not a random event. We do believe that the suspects and the victims knew each other," Francke said. "More importantly, we believe there are people are out there that have not come forward yet and have not given us information that they know about this case. It may be something small or it may be something as big as they witnessed something. We need them to come forward.”

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 Friday night 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."

D’Andrea said it’s been a time of “tremendous sadness.”

Anyone with information is asked to call police at 240-773-5070. To remain anonymous, call Crime Solvers of Montgomery County, which is offering a reward of up to $10,000 for any information that leads to additional arrests and indictments. Tipsters can call Crime Solvers of Montgomery County toll-free at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477).

All three suspects arrested on June 17 are being held without bond. They are currently scheduled to have bail review hearings on Monday, June 19.

Watch the entire news conference below:

Photo: Montgomery Community Media