MINOT, N.D. (AP) — The trial for a Somali man accused of killing the mother of his child and three other people in Minot two years ago is scheduled to begin Wednesday.
Omar Mohamed Kalmio, 28, is accused of killing Sabrina Zephier, the 19-year-old mother of his infant daughter; along with Zephier’s brother, Dillon Zephier, 13; mother Jolene Zephier, 38; and Jolene’s 22-year-old boyfriend, Jeremy Longie. The Zephiers were members of the Yankton Sioux Tribe.
Kalmio has pleaded not guilty to murder in each of the deaths. The Minot Daily News reported Saturday that Kalmio’s trial starts 9 a.m. Wednesday at the Ward County Courthouse.
Sabrina Zephier’s body was found in her home on Jan. 28, 2011. The baby was unharmed. The other bodies were found the same day in a home in another part of the city. All four of the victims had been shot.
Witnesses reported that Kalmio and Sabrina Zephier had argued days before her death, according to court documents.
A Somali national, Kalmio says he is in the U.S. under political asylum. He was arrested in August 2011 at the Grand Forks County Jail, and had been held there since February 2011 for an unrelated charge.
Source Associated Press