The Thanksgiving Massacre: Asmerom Gebreselassie’s Deadly Recipe for Disaster

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Thanksgiving. A time for gratitude, family bonding, and epic overeating. But in 2006, the Keller Plaza apartments in Oakland, California, became the stage for a gruesome act of revenge that no amount of gravy could smooth over. Enter Asmerom Gebreselassie, a man whose holiday spirit leaned more toward "killjoy" than "cornbread joy."

A Recipe for Catastrophe
Asmerom Gebreselassie, 47, and his brother Tewodros, 43, didn’t exactly bring pumpkin pie to the family gathering that fateful day. Instead, they arrived with a heap of unfounded suspicions and a deadly plan. The brothers were convinced—without a shred of evidence—that their sister-in-law, Winta Mehari, was responsible for the death of their brother, Abraham Tewolde, earlier that year. Medical experts had already ruled it a natural death, but logic didn’t make it onto their Thanksgiving menu.

Denied an invitation (because threatening people tends to get you booted from the guest list), Asmerom cooked up a sinister plan. Tewodros, the “friendlier” brother, used his rapport with the Mehari family to gain entry to the apartment. Once inside, he called his big brother to crash the feast—and not in the fun “surprise, I brought wine” way.

When the Turkey Turned Cold
Asmerom arrived, and the scene quickly turned from awkward family tension to unthinkable horror. Armed and dangerous, he opened fire, killing Winta Mehari (28), her brother Yonas Mehari (17), and their mother Regbe Bahrengasi (50). This wasn't a crime of passion; it was cold, calculated vengeance served with a side of cruelty. The once festive gathering was reduced to chaos, tears, and shattered lives.

The Aftermath: A Cold Serving of Justice
The Gebreselassie brothers were arrested and charged with first-degree murder, among other offenses. Their trial in 2011 was as dramatic as a courtroom drama binge on Netflix. Asmerom fired his lawyers, represented himself (badly), and frequently lashed out at the judge. If courtroom antics earned points, Asmerom would’ve scored big; instead, he earned a lifetime supply of prison sentences.

After nearly seven years of delays, a jury found the brothers guilty. Asmerom was sentenced to three consecutive life terms without parole, plus an extra life sentence and another 132 years (just in case). Tewodros wasn’t far behind, receiving a similarly hefty punishment. 

A Community Carved in Two
Oakland’s tight-knit Eritrean community was left devastated. Some sided with the brothers, seeing them as victims of systemic injustice, while others rallied behind the Mehari family. The courtroom, packed during the trial, became a powder keg of grief, anger, and divided loyalties. 

Asmerom’s Encore of Defiance
True to form, Asmerom ended his trial with a dramatic flair. At sentencing, he lashed out at the judge, calling him “criminal” and “evil,” before being forcibly removed. Even behind bars, his defiance remained unshaken—but it’s hard to keep up a vendetta when you’re serving three life sentences.

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