A Virginia man has been sentenced to 100 years in prison for murdering his Target coworker who stole his lunch.
KIRO 7 reports Bazn Berhe, 25, of Alexandria, received a 100-year sentence this week in the 2021 death of 58-year-old Hernan Leiva. Of Berhe's sentence, 30 years is suspended, meaning he will serve at least 70 years in prison.
The incident took place April 17, 2021, in the parking lot of the Target in Baileys Crossroads, Virginia, where Berhe was charged with first-degree murder after beating and stabbing his Leiva to death.
According to Berhe, Leiva, who was a janitor at Target, had taken his lunch from the office fridge three days earlier. After his lunch was stolen, Berhe plotted the murder of his co-worker. On April 15, he purchased a hammer and two knives as he was leaving his shift at Target. Berhe waited for Leiva to arrive before stabbing and bludgeoning him to death before fleeing the scene.
As soon as he was arrested, Berhe confessed to the killing and pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in October 2023.
At his court appearance this week, Berhe "threatened to kill or hurt other people if he was not given the harshest possible sentence."
"Mr. Leiva’s unnecessary and tragic death leaves behind a grieving family and community, one that will never be the same after such a senseless act of violence," Commonweath’s Attorney Steve Descano said in court. "In this case, because of the unique and self-proclaimed danger the defendant continues to pose to the community, today’s sentence was a necessary outcome for maintaining public safety."
