Left: Jalen Garces (Norfolk police). Right: Ali Muhammad (Bilal Muhammad).
A Virginia man will spend nearly three decades behind bars for murdering the son of a non-violence activist after blocking him in with his car as the victim was trying to get to work.
Jalen Garces, 31, was found guilty in August of second-degree murder and using a firearm in the commission of murder in the June 2023 shooting of 33-year-old Ali Karim Muhammad. On Friday, a judge sentenced Garces to 28 years in prison, the Norfolk Commonwealth's Attorney said.
The scene unfolded shortly after 10 p.m. on June 29, 2023, when Garces drove to Muhammad's apartment on First Bay Street in Norfolk and parked his car. Shortly thereafter, Muhammad walked out of his apartment for work and saw that a car was blocking him in, according to prosecutors. Muhammad asked a bystander about the car and who it belonged to in hopes that it could have been moved.
Some 20 minutes later, Muhammad was talking on the phone with his father when Garces came out of the apartment and refused to move his car. An argument ensued, and Garces pulled out a gun.
"Get that gun out of my face," Muhammad said, his father testified.
A shot rang out.
Paramedics rushed to the scene where they pronounced Muhammad dead. An autopsy later determined Muhammad suffered a contact gunshot wound to the torso.
Muhammad's father Bilal Muhammad told local NBC affiliate WAVY that while he wished Garces got more prison time, he felt like justice was served. He also called out his son's killer for not addressing them when he had a chance to do so at sentencing.
"He didn't even stand up to apologize to us," Bilal Muhammad told reporters. "He acted like, 'Oh well, so what?' And that's the type of attitude he displayed when a judge asked him, 'Do you have anything to say to the court, to the family? And you say no?'"
Ali Muhammad's 11-year-old daughter told the judge about the impact her father's death has had on her.
"My anxiety kicked in, and it's hard to breathe when you have anxiety and you overthink about a lot of things," she said.
Commonwealth's Attorney Ramin Fatehi thanked the investigators and prosecutors who helped put Garces away.
"Gun violence touches every family in America, even the family of Bilal Muhammad, who has dedicated his life to stopping gun violence," he said. "Mr. Garces' sentence fits his unnecessary and senseless killing of Ali Muhammad. Unfortunately, nothing can bring Ali back to his father, siblings, and daughters. I wish them peace as they move forward. I remind everyone that, once someone pulls the trigger, they cannot get the bullet back, and they will likely alter not just someone else's life forever but their own."
As Law&Crime previously reported, detectives used street cameras to place Garces's dark-colored Ford Mustang at the scene. Virginia Beach police arrested him two days after the shooting for allegedly driving under the influence. Data from the vehicle revealed it was at the scene and surveillance images from stores Garces frequented shortly before the shooting showed he was the only person in the car.
Detectives also spoke with the woman Garces was supposed to see at Muhammad's apartment complex. She testified Garces never showed up and he sounded "frantic" when she called him, prosecutors said.
Jurors convicted Garces after deliberating for about six hours following the three-day trial.
"My deepest condolences go out to Mr. and Mrs. Muhammad and to Ali's entire family for their tragic loss," said Fatehi. "Mr. Garces had no reason to kill Ali and to take him from his family. I was at the scene of this crime, as I am for every homicide in Norfolk, and I have no doubt that the information from the Flock camera system made the difference between an arrest and conviction and an unsolved murder."
Flock cameras, which capture extensive data and details about cars and drivers, have been controversial in the state.
Bilal Muhammad spoke with reporters after the verdict.
"It's a beautiful day," he said. "Our son Ali is smiling. My wife and I are so happy."
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