Cal State East Bay to award degree to Oakland murder victim

CBS-5 San Francisco 1/19/07

Cal State University, East Bay will hold a special ceremony today to posthumously award a degree to Winta Mehari, a 28-year-old Berkeley woman who was one of three members of an Eritrean family murdered in Oakland on Thanksgiving Day.

Mehari's family members will receive her bachelor's of science degree in business administration, with an emphasis in finance, in a ceremony from 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. in the Multipurpose Room of the campus' new University Union building.

University officials say Mo Qayoumi, Cal State-East Bay's president, and Sonjia Redmond, vice president for student affairs, will lead the campus community.

Winta Mehari, her 17-year-old brother Yonas Mehari, and their mother, 50-year-old Regbe Bahrengasi, were all killed in a shooting that occurred at the Keller Plaza apartment complex, located at 5301 Telegraph Ave. in Oakland, at about 3 p.m. Thanksgiving Day.

Oakland police say they think the motive for the shooting was that suspects Asmeron Gebreselassie, 43, and Tewodros Gebreselassie, 39, wanted revenge for the death of their brother, 42-year-old Abraham Tewolde, last March 1.

Police said Abraham Tewolde's cause of death was undetermined and his brothers were suspicious of Winta Mehari, who was his widow.

The Gebreselassie brothers are each charged with three counts of murder, one count of attempted murder, two special circumstances charges that could bring the death penalty and other charges.

Both are scheduled to return to Alameda County Superior Court on Jan. 30 to enter a plea.

University officials say reporters are welcome to attend and cover the ceremony for Winta Mehari.