Gaithersburg Man Sentenced Life In Prison For 2017 Murders

ROCKVILLE, MD — A man found guilty of the murders of two Northwest High School students last year was sentenced to life in prison without parole. Jose Canales-Yanez, of Gaithersburg, insisted on his innocence, Montgomery Community Media reports.

The two Northwest High School students — Shadi Adi Najjar, 17, and Artem S. Ziberov, 18 — were gunned down while sitting in a car in Montgomery Village June 5, 2017, one night before they were set to graduate from Northwest High School, police said.

Police said Canales-Yanez planned to kill Najjar after he stole drugs and an iPad from Canales-Yanez's wife seven months earlier in December 2016. Najjar also allegedly hit the woman with his car, ABC 7 reports.

State's Attorney John McCarthy said 40 shell casings were found in and around Najjar's car in Gallery Court in Montgomery Village. Canales-Yanez lured Najjar and Ziberov to the cul-de-sac by offering to buy an extra graduation ticket.

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Three others are charged in the killing, but Canales-Yanez was the first to be tried. Rony Alexander Galicia and Roger Garcia, both of Germantown, and Edgar Garcia-Gaona of Gaithersburg. Their trials are set to begin Oct. 26.

Article image Montgomery County Police Department