Jury Rules Manslaughter in Shooting of Immigrant

An Army reservist who shot and killed an unarmed Irvine neighbor during a 1998 argument was convicted Friday of voluntary manslaughter, prompting a courtroom outburst from the slain man’s family.

Chrysanthus Thomas, 26, who could have been convicted of murder, is to be sentenced on the lesser charge Sept. 22. During the one-month trial, Thomas said he acted in self-defense when he shot Amir Zekria, 23, in the parking lot of the Woodbridge Villas apartment complex.

But Zekria’s family maintains that Thomas acted deliberately. Moments after the announcement of the jury verdict, family members screamed and cried in outrage. Two sisters fainted and a bailiff had to escort another from the courtroom.

“My brother was unarmed. They couldn’t even find a pen on him,” Kabir Zekria, 25, said afterward. “This is justice?”

The case was marked by strained relations between law enforcement officials and the family, who are Afghani immigrants. Prosecutors initially declined to press charges against Thomas, saying early evidence suggested he had acted in self-defense.

The family was outraged by the decision and, joined by other members of the Islamic community, marched in protest. They got 1,000 signatures after mounting a petition drive.

Shortly afterward, authorities arrested Thomas and filed murder charges.

During the trial, the Zekria family--consisting of Amir’s parents and 10 brothers and sisters--watched as the defense pounded away at the prosecution’s case. At times, they said, they felt their brother was on trial, not Thomas.

“It hurts. My brother is not here to defend himself,” said Ozra Siddiqi, 24. “We know we will be suffering for the rest of our lives because we didn’t get justice for our innocent brother.”

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Times wire services contributed to this report.