GUILTY IN - Three men found shot execution-style, Fort Wayne, 24 Feb 2016

A jury and alternates for the trial of Artavius G. Richards were chosen after about four hours, and court was adjourned. Opening statements will take place Tuesday morning.

Adam Mekki, 20, Muhannad Tairab, 17, and Mohamedtaha Omar, 23, were shot to death execution style in a home at 808 E. Lewis St. on Feb. 24.

In September, Richards and Darrell L. McDaniel, both 19, were charged with three counts each of murder and use of a firearm in commission of a felony resulting in death.

Richards' trial is scheduled to take five days. McDaniel is scheduled to stand trial in late March.

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After more than nine hours of deliberation, a jury on Thursday night declared it could not reach a verdict against Artavius G. Richards, 19, who was on trial this week in Allen Superior Court for the murders of three men — Adam Mekki, 20; Muhannad Tairab, 17; and Mohamedtaha Omar, 23 — the afternoon of Feb. 24 inside a residence in the 800 block of East Lewis Street.

Richards, who had appeared vacuous and distant throughout the four-day trial, immediately began speaking to defense attorney Michelle Kraus after the jury foreperson made the announcement and they continued to speak as his and the victims' families exited the courtroom — with extra officers from the Allen County Sheriff's Department waiting by the door to guarantee everyone's safety.

Another hearing has been scheduled for Nov. 28, when the prosecution will decide whether to retry the case.

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Artavius G. Richards, 19, will go on trial again Jan. 30 through Feb. 3 in Allen Superior Court for the execution-style murders of Adam Mekki, 21; Muhannad Tairab, 17; and Mohamedtaha Omar, 23, on Feb. 24 inside a home in the 800 block of East Lewis Street during an alleged robbery gone awry.

As soon as the Allen County Prosecutor's Office announced it would retry the case Monday in Allen Superior Court, Richards requested another speedy trial, which resulted in the Jan. 30 start date.

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Key testimony from their driver, a professed prostitute in police protection, was suspect throughout much of the trial as she changed several of her statements about what had happened that afternoon to police and in testimony on the stand.

Defense attorney Michelle Kraus said she was "not terribly surprised" by the hung jury but "was certainly disappointed" the jury could not reach a not-guilty verdict in favor of her client.

She said Richards "was a little bit stunned." She said when discussing verdicts with her clients, hung juries are not discussed because they happen so infrequently.

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A jury was chosen Monday in the retrial of Artavius Richards, accused in a triple murder last year.

Testimony is expected to begin today in Allen Superior Court.

Richards, 19, went on trial last fall on charges he was one of two men who shot Adam Mekki, Muhan*nad Tairab and Mohamedtaha Omar to death execution style in a house at 808 E. Lewis St. on Feb. 24.

Richards’ first trial ended in a hung jury last November. He was charged with three counts of murder and one count of using a gun during a crime.

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Darrell McDaniel is scheduled to stand trial in late March.

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Deputy prosecutor Jeff Steinburg said Richards and McDaniel and a third man got a ride to East Lewis Street from Jasmin Griffin, supposedly to buy some marijuana. Eventually they admitted to her that they planned to rob the occupants of the home.

When they returned to Griffin's car, when one companion asked why he shot everyone, prosecutors said Griffin would tell them that Richards said, "We couldn't have any witnesses so I had to finish it," explaining why he shot all three men after McDaniel accidentally shot one of them.

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In his opening statement, defense attorney Ryan Gardner said the prosecution would not be able to produce physical evidence linking Richards to the crime scene.

"No smoking gun," Gardner said. "No one will say they saw him go into the house. No one will say they saw him with a gun or saw him pull the trigger."

Gardner also said that Griffin is not credible, that her story evolved as police interviewed her over and over, and that certain information didn't even emerge until this month. He also pointed out that Griffin has been allowed to drive without a license and use marijuana and never get a ticket or get arrested.

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The man who killed three men in a home on Lewis Street nearly a year ago was found guilty on all charges Thursday.

Artavius Richards, 19, faced a jury for the second time in two months, in a retrial which began on Monday. In November, the first trial ended with a hung jury. At the time, 10 jurors believed Richards was innocent and only two believed he was guilty, said Allen County Deputy Prosecutor Steven Godfrey.

“The two jurors who hung out for us last time, that hung out for the state of Indiana, thank you,” said Godfrey. “You’re the reason he’s going to prison the rest of his life.”

Richards will appear for a sentencing hearing on March 6. He faces 65 years for each murder. Darrell L. McDaniel’s trial is set for March of this year.

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A man convicted last month of killing three men execution-style during a drug robbery in February 2016 on East Lewis Street was sentenced to 190 years in prison.

Artavius G. Richards, 20, received 60 years apiece for each of the murders, plus 10 years for use of a firearm enhancement, all to be served consecutively, or one term after the other, Monday in Allen Superior Court.

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Deputy Prosecutor for the Allen County Prosecutor's Office Jeffrey Stineburg said, "The victims' families have a deep appreciation for the manner in which the criminal justice system worked in this instance."

"This is a horrendous crime that took place in our community," Steve Godfrey, chief counsel for the Allen County Prosecutor's Office, said during the hearing. "Handguns are ripping this community apart, especially in southeast Fort Wayne."

Citing Richards' lengthy criminal history, including two counts of carrying a handgun, battery and resisting law enforcement, played a factor in Surbeck's sentencing.

"Three boys were executed in order for the defendant to protect himself," Surbeck said. "I truly find that offensive."

Adam Mekki's father, Kamal Kuku, said of Richards after the hearing, "He's dead, too. He's dead. He's gone. I'm so happy."

"God is always there for us," said Mekki's mother, Hawtai Mekki.

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Deputy Prosecutor Steve Godfrey said justice was only possible because a witness came forward.

“I don’t have to tell you how many unsolved homicides we have even from last year because we know people have information, but if they don’t come forward with it we can’t do anything,” Godfrey said. “That young lady did come forward and without her we wouldn’t be standing here today.”

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Also Monday, McDaniel, who also faced three murder charges, agreed to a plea deal that will convict him of Level 2 robbery. McDaniel admitted to the judge that he and Richards went to the house on Lewis Street to rob the men, but he accidentally shot Adam Mekki.

“Our goal was from the beginning of this case when everybody was charged is to make sure that everybody is punished their specific roles in this case and we’re satisfied that that is the case,” Godfrey said.

The families agree that Richards, not McDaniel, is responsible for all three deaths.

“He went to school with our kids. Our kids know him very well, so I’m just glad he didn’t do that. He didn’t kill my son. He shot my son, of course, but he didn’t kill him,” Kuku said about McDaniel. “I’m so happy about it. I forgive him, but not the other guy at all.”

McDaniel will face no more than 20 years behind bars for the crime, according to terms of the deal. He will be sentenced April 10.

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Darrell McDaniel was sentenced Monday to 20 years in prison for robbery for his role in a holdup gone bad on East Lewis Street that left three people dead last year.

When Allen Superior Court Judge John Surbeck imposed the sentence, McDaniel, 19, who had pleaded guilty, took on an angry glare, shook his head and glared at his attorney.

As part of a plea agreement with prosecutors, three counts of murder against McDaniel were dismissed in exchange for pleading guilty to robbery.

Defense attorney Quentin Ellis told the court that during the course of the robbery, McDaniel's gun went off accidentally. "He had no design to do this," Ellis said.

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Before handing down the sentence, Surbeck said McDaniel had "absolutely no repect for the laws of the city, state or country." The judge said several references were made Monday calling the three murders as an unfortunate incident or a mistake.

"No, this was a criminal act resulting in murder," Surbeck said. You can't mitigate something that ends in death, he said.

Outside the courtroom shortly after the sentencing, McDaniel's mother seemed shocked by the sentence and cried. Later Kamal Kuku, the father of Adam Mekki, one of the victims, hugged McDaniel's mother, and she also hugged Mekki's mother as both cried.

Kuku said he was satisfied with the sentence, but he said that McDaniel was the original guy to open fire during the robbery, even though he says it was an accident, and said the three victims might not have died if not for him.

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