Murder conviction overturned in death of Kent man at Auburn drive-in

A jury had convicted Abbas Zghair in 2021 of second-degree murder in the 2019 fatal shooting

Abbas Zghair. (Screenshot taken from meet-an-inmate.com)

Abbas Zghair. (Screenshot taken from meet-an-inmate.com)

The Washington State Court of Appeals overturned a murder conviction on Nov. 6 against a man convicted for a 2019 murder in Auburn.

A King County Superior Court jury had convicted Abbas Zghair of second-degree murder in October 2021 for the March 2019 fatal shooting of Silvano Ruiz-Perez, of Kent, in Auburn. Attorneys for Zghair appealed the case in December 2021.

A passerby discovered Ruiz-Perez dead in a gravel field at the site of an old drive-in theater on March 24, 2019, and called police. Ruiz-Perez died as a result of a “gaping” shotgun wound to his left forearm, estimated to have been fired from within 3 feet of him. Media reports about the 2019 case listed Auburn and Kent as hometowns for Zghair.

In the Washington State Court of Appeals’s analysis of the case, the court determined that the evidence to support Zghair’s conviction either as a principal or accomplice to murder served as insufficient — reversing and remanding the case to the King County Superior Court for dismissal of Zghair’s conviction.

To prove that Zghair was the principal in the shooting, not only did the state have to prove that the shooting was intentional, the state had to establish that Zghair was the person who shot Ruiz-Perez, according to the Washington State Court of Appeals’s unpublished opinion regarding his case.

“While the State argued in closing that Zghair ‘very well could have been the human being that pointed that shotgun,’ it never presented evidence that supports a reasonable inference that Zghair was the shooter,” the Court of Appeals’s opinion stated.

No evidence permitted an inference connecting Zghair to the act of shooting, nor to the shotgun, with no physical evidence as a result of the weapon never having been found, the opinion stated. There was also no evidence that Zghair had a motive to shoot Ruiz-Perez as the two were “strangers” who had never met, according to documents.

There was circumstantial evidence that Zghair was present at the scene of the crime, with his phone location data establishing his phone was in the vehicle connected to the shooting, with birdshot and blood recovered from the car. However, the Court of Appeals agreed with Zghair’s appeal that his “mere presence” at the scene could not establish his liability as an accomplice.

“There is … no evidence from which to infer that he was the person who shot Ruiz-Perez. No rational juror could conclude beyond a reasonable doubt that … Zghair knew of a plan to shoot Ruiz-Perez … nor could a rational juror conclude beyond a reasonable doubt that Zghair had information that would lead a reasonable person in his situation to believe he was assisting in the planning or commission of the crime charged,” the opinion stated.

The Auburn Police Department declined to comment regarding the overturning of Zghair’s conviction.

Representatives of the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office did not immediately respond to request for comment.


Talk to us

Please share your story tips by emailing editor@kentreporter.com.

To share your opinion for publication, submit a letter through our website https://www.kentreporter.com/submit-letter/. Include your name, address and daytime phone number. (We’ll only publish your name and hometown.) Please keep letters to 300 words or less.

More in News

t
Two Kent men plead not guilty to Federal Way murder

Enter pleas Nov. 27 in King County Superior Court in Kent

t
Kent bicyclist killed in collision with vehicle identified

Jason Allen Coffin, 48, died in Nov. 22 crash along Central Avenue South

t
Kent elementary schools celebrate Native American Heritage Month

Seattle author shares about culture of Native Americans through storytelling, song

t
Kent bicyclist killed in collision with vehicle along Central Avenue

48-year-old man dies at the scene in Nov. 22 crash

It’s time for the annual toy drive by Puget Sound Fire. COURTESY FILE PHOTO, Puget Sound Fire
Donations needed for Puget Sound Fire’s Toys for Joy program

New, unwrapped toys for children up to 12 years old

t
Two Kent men charged in Federal Way murder at O’Reilly Auto Parts

Men, ages 19 and 18, reportedly liked the man’s Dodge Charger and wanted to carjack it

t
Kentlake High student killed in wrong-way driver crash in Kent

17-year-old girl was passenger in vehicle that collided with wrong-way driver who also died

Sen. Claudia Kauffman, D-47
State Senate Democrats’ Members of Color Caucus stands against hate

Kent Sen. Kauffman part of group that responds to rising hate from conflicts across the world

t
Sheriff’s office seek public’s help after 2 bodies found in Maple Valley | Update

Both victims died of gunshot wound of the chest; identities released by medical examiner

t
Inquest jury rules Kent Police officer justified in 2019 fatal shooting

Officer describes exchange of gunfire with 37-year-old Kent man after vehicle pursuit

t
Why Not You Academy in Des Moines receives $100,000 grant

Public charter school co-founded by Russell Wilson and Ciara gets funds to help students attend college

t
Nothing found by deputies at Kentlake High after threat of violence

Anonymous call to school caused lockdown Thursday, Nov. 16