Man pleads not guilty in 2 deaths

By Tiffany Hsu

Jan. 8, 2008 12 AM PT

A man accused of killing his father and sister and dumping their bodies near two freeways in November pleaded not guilty to murder Monday.

Police say Mulushewa Tebedge, 33, dismembered the body of his father, 75-year-old Getahun T. Reta, and left the pieces stuffed into two suitcases and a duffel bag beside Interstate 5 in rural Fresno County. They say Tebedge also stabbed his sister, Zerfie Tibeje Getahun, 33, and left her body in a ditch off U.S. 101 in Santa Barbara.

Police have said that Tebedge, who has a “history of mental issues,” snapped during the Ethiopian family’s traditional Sunday night dinner.

-- Tiffany Hsu

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Tiffany Hsu

Tiffany Hsu is a former staff writer for the Los Angeles Times. Previously, she wrote about the California economy, fast food, restaurants, retail and alternative energy for the Business section. A Bay Area native, UC Berkeley graduate and eternal Nor-Cal fan, she once worked for the San Francisco Bay Guardian. She also did a stint at the Richmond Times-Dispatch, where she developed a passion for sweet tea. She still has faith that someday she’ll find two economists who agree.

Man pleads not guilty in 2 deaths

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