NORFOLK, Va. — The 28-year-old man who killed Ali Muhammad, the 33-year-old son of activist Bilal Muhammad, was sentenced to serve 28 years in prison Friday.
Jalen Garces was convicted in August on charges of second-degree murder in Norfolk's Ocean View neighborhood about two-and-a-half years ago.
Norfolk Commonwealth's Attorney Ramin Fatehi had sought 30 years for Garces, but believes justice was served.
Watch previous coverage: Bilal says son's killer should get 'every dime of his time'
News 3 spoke to Bilal, who is a well-known activist working to prevent gun violence in Hampton Roads, after the sentencing.
"You look at 28 years, we were hoping to get 40 or 30... but we are satisfied with the verdict," Muhammad said. "Twenty-eight years is not like, pluck your fingers and you achieve 28 years. Jalen got to go through a test and needs to question himself: can he go through that test?"
Bilal had given emotional testimony during the trial, recounting what happened on June 29, 2023. He said he and his son were talking as usual the night of June 29, 2023, but hung up so Ali could finish getting dressed for work.
When Bilal called back minutes later, he said he overheard Ali telling someone, “Move that gun out of my face” more than once. He then heard a gunshot on the phone. Bilal said he hung up, tried calling his son back, but got no answer.
Watch previous coverage about Ali Muhammad
"He didn't even apologize to my family, to Ali's daughter, to the court because he has a code that never admits to the wrong you've done," Muhammad continued forcefully on Friday after the sentencing. "But times are different now. Because there's an old saying if the world don't change you, the condition will change you, and eventually he will submit."
Garces had the opportunity to speak during the sentencing, but chose not to comment.
Ali's 11-year-old daughter Aaliyah was one of the five family members of Muhammad who gave victim impact statements during the sentencing on Friday. News 3 Reporter Erin Holly spoke to Aaliyah and her mother after the sentencing.
“Yes, I miss him every single day," Aaliyah Muhammad said about her father.
“I’m feeling blessed. You know, because there’s a lot of people that don’t get what we got today. So, all I can do is be thankful," Kelly Shaw, the mother of Ali's three children said.
Garces received a sentence of 40 years for the second-degree murder charge, with 17 of those years suspended, and five years on the gun charge, for a total of 28.
Norfolk Commonwealth's Attorney Ramin Fatehi said he believes the sentence for Garces is just and appropriate.
“Killing somebody with a contact gunshot wound means you’ve put the gun to the person’s chest and pulled the trigger. And it also reflected the pain and the loss of the Muhammad family," Fatehi said.
