Diamondback Online - The University of Maryland's Independent Daily Student Newspaper

Issue date: 2/21/08 Section: News

Media Credit: James B. Hale

The victim of a weekend stabbing on Knox Road said yesterday during an interview that he was not stabbed by sophomore Messai Belayneh, who was charged with assault in the incident Tuesday.

Terps football freshman defensive back Trenton Hughes said he was cut on the chest and stabbed under the armpit by two men he described as Belayneh's friends during a fight that broke out nearby a party at Belayneh's apartment. But, Hughes said, "I wasn't shocked when I heard" Belayneh was arrested "because he was involved in the fight."

About 20 friends of Belayneh's also gathered yesterday in a show of support, some wearing "Free Messai" homemade T-shirts, saying their friend was innocent. Belayneh's arrest, several said, was "so ridiculous," and a majority also questioned the depth of the police investigation.

Maj. Kevin Davis, who commands Prince George's County Police District 1, defended his department's handling of the arrest, saying police were "unequivocally led" to name Belayneh as a suspect.

"I've got no doubt about our investigation," Davis said. "Our investigation is still ongoing and we have every reason to believe we have the right person in custody."

During the interview, which took place before reporters interviewed Hughes, Davis said police developed probable cause to arrest Belayneh "based on accounts from the victim and witnesses." Davis could not be reached following Hughes' comments to The Diamondback.

"The arrest is not the end of the process," Davis said. "He'll have his day in court. This investigation is ongoing; we continue to develop new information."

A court commissioner said last night that Belayneh had been released on $20,000 bond. Reached at home, Belayneh's mother said the family had no comment.

During the meeting of Belayneh's friends, which also included a cousin, sophomore Spanish major Brittany Perry-Johnson said she worked with Belayneh at The Diner on North Campus last semester. She expressed disappointment with the way police handled the arrest.

"When something like that happens, they have to arrest somebody so people are happy," she said. "I feel like, because it was his party, they just jumped to the conclusion that, 'Oh, it must have been him.'"

Yamrot Negussie, a sophomore psychology major who said she was Belayneh's godsister, called him "a very loving person."

"He rubs off on people, and it's like, once people meet him, they love him, they can't get enough of him," Negussie said.

Beniam Gebeyehu, a senior communication major and Belayneh's cousin, said Belayneh went to the police voluntarily in an attempt to help with the investigation.

Acknowledging Belayneh's effort to go to police, Davis said it had no bearing on investigators' decision to arrest him.

"The fact that he's here to show up under the ruse that, 'I'm here to help' is a dime a dozen," Davis said. "It's an effort to appear contrite."

There were also questions yesterday about why the university issued no crime alert e-mail to the campus.

University Police Spokesman Paul Dillon said University Police defer to county police on whether the crime alert should be sent out.

Prince George's Police requested no crime alert be sent out because "it could quite possibly hinder their investigation," Dillon said.

"We're not just gonna sit back and say we've done all we can" to alert students, Dillon said, but "we think we do a good job."

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