Seattle Times has details on the sentence handed down to Rey Davis-Bell, the man found guilty of the murder of Philly’s Cheesesteak owner Degene “Safie” Dashasa in 2008:
A 25-year-old Seattle man who was convicted of killing a Central District restaurant owner in 2008 was sentenced Friday to just over 123 years in prison.
Rey Davis-Bell was convicted in February of first-degree murder for shooting Degene “Safie” Dashasa in his restaurant on Jan. 30, 2008. He was also convicted of three counts of attempted first-degree murder for shooting at two other people in the restaurant and firing gunshots into the window of a former girlfriend’s apartment earlier in the day.
Rey Alberto Davis-Bell in the courtroom after his February homicide conviction
…it is still not enough…
Wrong man is going to jail for this crime. Our justice system is horrible. I have sympathy for the family but the real killer is still out there!
OJ did it?
Now I known why my old Somali neighbors kept saying they wanted to leave the CD and move to the Northside.
Your question reminded me of the Tuba Man and how the killers seemed to take their time killing him, yet one young assailant only got what, only 36 weeks, and is in trouble again. How does our legal system get such sentences?.
Ur comment is ignorant. He had no fair shot the media had the city terrified of this man b4 he was even taken in to custody and it was not proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
I’m sorry to say but there was a jury of several individuals who disagree with you on the ‘beyond reasonable doubt’ thing – it’s not like this case was as greatly well known as the OJ case where *everyone* knew what happened. Heck I mentioned this case to my coworkers who are not from the CD and they had no idea what I was talking about so it’s hard to believe that this person was persecuted through the media and given an unfair trial.
Its funny how u white people always bring up oj when a black man is convivted of a crime. Racism alive and thriving!!!! How do u make assumptions and u were not even there? 1 no weapon 2 witness statements from day of incedent diff from what was testified. Video tape from store clearly showed the shooter was not Rey. Do I need to continue? Just becuz a black man was accused of a crime does not mean he actually did it!
And unfortunately the law states that they have 2 prove beyond a reasonable doubt! Which again they did not! If it was 1 of the white rapist child molesters or serial killers he would have gotten a fair trial. Open ur eyes and quit being so close mined.
You seem so sure. If you know who the real killer is, you have an obligation to step up and tell the police about it.
The tuba man? This situation is nothing like that. Nobody took their time killing Safie and the supposed killer did not get 36 weeks. 123 years is very different than the sentences given to the kids who killed tuba man. Besides it’s true what hshshs is saying but nobody on this site is interested in real justice. That’s obvious.
They don’t wanna know who the real killer is. They decided they had their guy from day 1! Its nothing but a bunch of politics they just want the city 2 feel they are safe @ the expense of others lives!
i agree with you completely, MOST of the white people in the CD have ruined it and its sad..whats even sadder is that I am a white woman saying this. It irritates me so much when I read comments on these posts that are so racist. Just the way some white people are irritates me so bad…I mean im proud of who I am but some white people just think they are so much better than everyone else and its soo sad. Be more open minded people and if not get the heck up out of here because most of these residents of the Central District have live here for YEARS and their familes have lived here for years…
I didn’t know Mr. Dashasa nor Mr. Davis-Bell. No one on this thread can know with absolute certainty what happened that day, unless they too were there. If so, they hold at least some responsibility for Mr. Davis-Bell’s conviction or more importantly, Mr. Dashasa’s death. Without clear, concrete evidence pointing in one direction or the other, each of us is inclined to come to his or her own opinion, regardless of the circumstantial evidence.
As for the “evidence,” some speak of the crime itself, others of possible corruption within the police or courts, while still others look to differences within the community itself that might explain why opinions differ so drastically. The facts as I understand them boil down to a couple simple facts: A bullet was fired from a gun into the body of Mr. Dashasa, killing him. I don’t know why this happened, but Mr. Davis-Bell was accused and convicted of the crime.
I can’t ask anyone to trust our (or any) justice system. Every person on earth is biased in one way or another and the legal processes of this city, state and nation are only as good as the people and laws that helped make them. But just because the system isn’t perfect doesn’t mean that seeking justice (of some sort) isn’t the right thing to do. A serious crime took place and someone is absolutely responsible for it.
They say the justice is blind, but I know this isn’t entirely true. A lot of the comments here speak to this fact better than I ever could. I just want to make one thing clear: Justice is absolutely blind to evidence that is not present. If new information sheds light on Mr. Davis-Bell’s innocence, I hope it comes to light. Until then, I for one have to hope that a jury of twelve of our peers would not send an innocent man to prison for the rest of his life.
I never said what my race is, please don’t assume. My race here is irrelevant. I mentioned OJ because he is famous and that trial made headlines all over. You would have had to have been living under a rock to not know about that case at the time. That is an example of someone who had a difficult time having a fair trial because of A) his fame and B) the never ending and intense news coverage. Another example would be the Amanda Knox trial that happened over in Italy. I could list off the examples of why she probably didnt get a fair trial but that isn’t the point – apparently the point is to give an example of a Caucasian girl? Does this make it better if I mention black AND white getting and unfair trial?
My point is I doubt they got an unfair trial because of news coverage etc. If he didn’t do it I hope someone can prove his innocence. If he did do it, he’ll be where he belongs. I don’t have an opinion because I wasn’t privy to the evidence presented and the defense argument every day the trial went on and I don’t rely on rumors to base my opinions on.
When a gang banger & “hood” type weighs in on it. i.e: hshshs
You proved my point. Black men are not the only gang bangers and “hood” types.
Well, if all you say is true, why hasn’t someone from the community stepped forward to offer information?
You either snitch or you don’t – if you don’t, don’t complain about “injustice”
So if Davis-Bell didn’t do it, who did?
If someone’s “culture” doesn’t let them “snitch”, they either have to change that culture or stop whining. You can complain about the cops all day: That and $2.50 will get you a latte somewhere.
Grow up, collectively, and maybe you’ll be taken seriously. There’s only so many times you can sing a song before it gets really tedious.
Ur ignorance isn’t even worth continuing the discussion.
Okay. You can’t defend your position, so you just end the discussion, blaming it on supposed “ignorance”. That’s the way to make progress.
Seriously, if there is any evidence out there that this guy didn’t do it, it’s the moral responsibility of the people with that information to contact the cops.
I’m glad he got such a long sentence.
He looks all cleaned up now that he has been in custody for so long….but he was violent and drug addled when he committed the cowardly murder in 2008.
To the whiny cry-babies who are saying he is innocent – go suck a lemon!
I see you just assumed he was an addict. Just pure ignorance!