Teenage Robber Pleads Guilty to Murder

A teenager who gunned down a Watsonville shopkeeper after robbing the man's store in fall 2010 pleaded guilty to all charges and could spend the rest of his life in prison.

Christian Speaker, who turned 18 last summer, was a juvenile delinquent on the run from authorities when he shot Yahya Saleh Ali Ahmed, 32, at Fiesta Latina Market at 251 E. Beach St. on Oct. 19.

"We're happy that we brought justice to Mr. Ahmed's family. He has a young wife and two young daughters, 7 and 1, and an extended family that has participated in these hearings... We're happy that they get justice first," said Assistant District Attorney Alex Byers, who was prosecuting the case. "Second, we're also happy that an individual who he perpetrated a brutal senseless murder in cold blood is off the streets."

Speaker, who was a ward of the court when the slaying occurred, has escaped from a group home in Tulare County with a Watsonville teen three days before the fatal shooting and came to Watsonville.

Friday, Speaker threw himself on the mercy of the court. His guilty plea was not the part of a deal the the District Attorney's Office.

"Christian was prepared to enter a plea months and months ago," his public defender, Jesse Ruben, said.

Ruben said he will leave it to his client to explain why he pleaded guilty and the circumstances of the crime.

"The reasons are not particularly," Ruben said outside of court, pausing to collect his thoughts, "they're more sad than anything. There isn't a flashy, interesting reason."

In court, Speaker was dressed in yellow jail-issue clothes. The pale teenager addressed the judge as "your honor" and "sir," answering questions in quick, polite clips—including if he understood the consequences of pleading guilty.

The possible prison terms range from 50 years behind bars to life without the possibility of parole, Judge Paul Burdick said.

Detectives believe Speaker first engaged Ahmed in conversation and then left the business. He returned with a handgun, pointed it at Ahmed and demanded money. After Ahmed handed him cash from the register, Speaker allegedly shot him point-blank in the chest, police said.

"Mr. Speaker had gotten everything he needed and he decided to kill that man," Byers said. "It was awful."

Ahmed was pronounced dead at the scene.

Watsonville police detective Morgan Chappell said the shopkeeper was "executed" even though he did what police advise: turn over cash or other items during an armed robbery, rather than fighting back.

"Mr. Ahmed did what you're supposed to do," Chappell said.

The robbery and shooting was captured on the store’s surveillance camera and distributed to law enforcement agencies across the state. Detectives said that the day before the murder, Speaker was allegedly captured on video at the 98 Cent Store in Freedom, where a suspect stole items and pushed an elderly clerk to the ground when he tried to stop the robber.

A day after the murder, police in Willets stopped a car with a Watsonville teen who detectives believe fled with Speaker from a court-appointed group home in Tulare County three days prior to the robbery-murder. Police arrested the teen for an outstanding warrant.

Speaker has a history of robberies and weapons possessions. He will be sentenced June 20.

"Mr. Speaker, I'm sure the family is, at least, grateful for you taking this amount of responsiblity," Burdick told the young man.

Ahmed's brother was in court Friday for the proceedings. His wife and young daughters live in Yemen, according to Byers.

"They have a weight that most of us can't understand," he said.

—Bay City News contributed to this report.