Trial opens today in that Minneapolis Somali murder case

We reported the murders back in January 2010, here, a couple of Somali refugee teens shot and killed three other Somalis in a store they were attempting to rob.

There is much hand wringing in the Somali “community” about why this should have happened when the kids had everything going for them in America.

From AP at the Houston Chronicle:

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Osman Jama Elmi was manning the family corner store on a cold January night, chatting with a cousin who stopped to say hello, when two people wearing masks entered.

Within moments, Elmi, his cousin and a customer were dead, shot multiple times and lying in pools of blood.
Opening statements are expected Monday in the trial of Mahdi Hassan Ali, an 18-year-old charged with murder, in a case that rocked the local Somali community, the nation’s largest.

The ins and outs of the case follow, then this which give us a hint of the morals (or lack of morals) in the Somali “community.”  It starts with Somalis being comfortable with lying!

Mahdi Ali’s age has also been an issue leading up to the trial. Prosecutors say both Mahdi Ali and Ahmed Ali were 17 at the time of the killings, but Goetz has argued that Mahdi Ali was only 15 and should not be tried in adult court.

Goetz [attorney] has said Mahdi Ali’s legal birthdate was fabricated to get the boy to the U.S. As the case proceeded to trial, dental X-rays were ordered to try to prove Mahdi Ali’s age. Ultimately, the Supreme Court ruled he would stand trial in adult court.

[…..]

Fahia [to learn more about Saeed Fahia and where his funding comes from, go here—ed] and Mohamed Hassan, another community leader, both said the killings ended the lives of entrepreneurs who contributed to the economy, but it also ruined the lives of the two teens. They want justice, but see the case as a tragedy all around.

“The kids could have been saved, and could have been the future of this state,” Hassan said. “I don’t think we are born evil. I think we are all born innocent and nice, but some way, somehow along the road, something happens.”

Yes, and what could that be?

You might be interested in one person’s view of the Seward neighborhood where this crime occurred.  Also, visit ‘Why so many Somalis in Minneapolishere with more on Seward.