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Defiant murder defendant Nasser Hamad speaks up at arraignment about ‘lies,’ attorneys and Zionism
Nasser Hamad in court
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Nasser Hamad repeatedly challenged the proceedings against him this morning during his arraignment on aggravated murder and attempted aggravated murder charges.
By Ed Runyan
WARREN
A defiant Nasser Hamad tried to use his arraignment hearing Thursday on death-penalty-level murder charges to tell his side of the conflict Saturday that ended with two men dead and three people injured by gunshots at his house on state Route 46 in Howland.
He also was critical of the attorneys supplied for him during two hearings as well as Chris Becker, the assistant prosecutor working on his case, whom he addressed with anti-Semitic remarks.
Hamad alleged that Becker had “threatened my son, your honor,” then turned toward Becker and added: “Are you Jewish? Are you a Zionist Jew?”
Despite repeated requests from Becker to Judge Ronald Rice that Hamad not direct comments personally to Becker, Hamad persisted.
“I got a big family, big attorney to make this guy look like a joke, coming for you,” Hamad said to Becker, standing about 10 feet away. “You write that PR, I’m going to give you PR.”
Hamad tried one time to direct a comment to reporters in the courtroom, asking his attorney, “Can you let me say one thing to the media here that they don’t know about?” but his attorney asked him not to.
Judge Ronald Rice of Trumbull County Common Pleas Court repeatedly advised Hamad not to talk about the facts of the case because his statements could be used against him, but Hamad spoke anyway.
“It’s all lies. I seen weapons, guns,” he said, apparently referring to things not reported by police about the case. Hamad added he was “defending myself on my own property here.”
Dictionary.com says Zionism is “the belief that Jews should have their own nation.” It adds that Zionism “is opposed by most Arabs.”
Becker did not respond in court or afterward to the Zionism remark.
Hamad, 47, who said earlier in the hearing he’d lived in Howland for 43 years, is listed in jail records as having been born in North Carolina.
At one point, while talking about raising bond money, Hamad said: “I got strong family, strong Christian and Muslim supporters, brothers and sisters.”
Becker said he did have words with Hamad’s son on Wednesday afternoon when his son showed up on the second floor of the courthouse near where the grand jury was in session, apparently in the Hamad case. Becker said he asked the younger Hamad if he wanted to testify. If not, he “had no business here,” Becker said.
Early in the hearing, there was discussion regarding what attorney would represent Hamad. After that was clarified, Hamad pleaded not guilty to the charges handed up by a grand jury Wednesday – two counts of aggravated murder and six counts of attempted aggravated murder.
Hamad said he was trying to get the money needed for bail, but the judge advised him his $5 million bond was being revoked and he would not be eligible to post bond because he’s facing murder charges that could result in the death penalty.
The charges are based on a confrontation in Hamad’s front yard and driveway. Police say it stemmed from a Facebook exchange earlier Saturday between two of the young men involved in the later shootings and Hamad. Police also have said the shootings tie back to a family feud involving members of the Hendrickson family who lived near Hamad.
Hamad is dating Tracy Hendrickson, estranged wife of Brian Hendrickson. Police believe the Hendricksons and Hamad started feuding because of Tracy Hendrickson’s leaving her husband and becoming involved with Hamad.
Killed at the scene was Joshua Haber, 19. Josh Williams, 20, of Woodbine Avenue, died later at the hospital.
Bryce Hendrickson, 20, and John Shively, 17, survived, along with April Trent-Vokes, 42, who police say drove the four men to Hamad’s home.
The first discussion at Thursday’s hearing was about what attorney would represent Hamad, because Hamad didn’t want either of the two attorneys he had been given by the Ohio Public Defender’s Office – one for his first hearing Monday and another one at Thursday’s hearing.
Judge Rice said an arraignment is a “formality,” and Hamad would have an opportunity to have an attorney of his choosing at his next hearing March 30.
Eventually Hamad invited a man sitting in the courtroom to come to the podium with him. Atty. Geoffrey Oglesby of Sandusky joined Hamad, said he’d known Hamad for “quite some time” and offered to handle Hamad’s case, at least initially.
After the hearing, Tim May of Niles, who said he’s a friend of the Hamad family, said the story that hasn’t been told so far is that a feud between Hamad and members of the Hendrickson family went on for months, but not enough was done to resolve it.
“He was threatened for months. The cops were always undermanned to even make calls to that house,” he said. “Now it’s escalated to a level where it’s internet, racial, guns, knives – people’s lives are in danger.
“Nobody addresses those internet pages until they have to address it in a man’s yard who was drug out of the front of his house, beaten, arm broke, face mutilated,” May said.
“He gets up, enraged, not knowing what he’s doing, going nuts, hears they got a gun, he gets his gun, fires all his rounds, doesn’t see he took care of business, goes to get another round and finishes it off,” May said.
May added that he doesn’t understand why no charges have been filed against the five people for coming onto Hamad’s property. “To this point, none of them [have] been charged for assault or coming with deadly weapons,” May said.
Police reports obtained by The Vindicator indicate that the dispute between Hamad and members of the Hendrickson family came to a head Nov. 6, when Hamad made several calls to police about them threatening him, and they called police about threats from Hamad.
A Howland police document filed with the court says when the five people arrived at Hamad’s house, “a fist fight ensued between Hamad and Shively.” It doesn’t say what the other four people did but notes the five returned to the van after the fight ended. It says Hamad retrieved the gun from the house and started shooting.
A filing by Becker asking that Hamad not be eligible for bond says “no weapon was ever presented or used” in the fight that preceded the gunfire by Hamad.
Hendrickson and Trent-Vokes are still in the hospital with serious injuries, while Shively was described as having been only grazed by a gunshot.