REDWOOD CITY — A Daly Metropolis girl has been sentenced to 3 years in jail as a part of a plea in a case accusing her of serving to her 22-year-old son escape after he allegedly shot and killed a person final yr.
San Mateo County Presiding Choose Stephanie G. Garratt sentenced Zaib Un Nisa Afridi, 51, on Friday after she pled no contest in August to felony accent to homicide with aggravating circumstances. Her plea got here regardless that her son, Maarij Abdullah Afridi, has but to face trial within the September 2024 killing of 60-year-old Rolando Yanga.
Prosecutors had alleged that after the capturing, Zaib Afridi didn’t name police however as an alternative drove her son to her sister’s home in Sacramento to cover.
Garratt’s sentence got here after 4 of Yanga’s members of the family shared “impassioned” speeches in regards to the influence of the killing on their lives. Garratt referred to as the deadly capturing “senseless” and added that “although not the actual killer, (Zaib Afridi) bears much of the responsibility for what occurred,” prosecutors stated. Garratt additionally ordered that Zaib Afridi pay sufferer restitution of $17,261.
The prosecution had requested the utmost sentence of three years. San Mateo County District Legal professional Stephen Wagstaffe stated that his workplace doesn’t usually get the utmost time period on accent circumstances, however that this case was “so aggravated.”
“This woman really went to efforts to assist her son in both accomplishing his goal and getting away,” Wagstaffe stated.
Wagstaffe famous that Zaib Afridi assisted her son first in getting him to the situation of the alleged killing, which he referred to as “egregious conduct,” then by driving him to Sacramento to “try and help him hide so he could eventually go somewhere else (and) escape culpability.”
“When people commit crimes, sometimes, if they’re not professional criminals, they need somebody to bolster them, to help them, otherwise they may not commit it,” Wagstaffe stated. “I don’t know if her son would have committed this murder if she was not saying, ‘Sure, I’ll drive you over there, and then I’ll help you afterward, I’ll help you escape.’”
Françoise Espinoza, Zaib Afridi’s protection lawyer, didn’t reply to a request for remark Monday.
Prosecutors and police stated the confrontation between Maarij Afridi and Yanga started at a neighborhood health club on the night of Sept. 29, 2024.
On the time, Zaib Afridi was below the impression that her son was “just going to confront” Yanga, prosecutors stated. However as an alternative, Maarij Afridi allegedly shot Yanga a number of instances within the driveway of the sufferer’s dwelling, prosecutors stated.
Prosecutors added that the capturing occurred in “clear view” of Zaib Afridi.
After the capturing, Zaib Afridi drove Maarij Afridi to her sister’s home in Sacramento the place he might disguise, prosecutors stated.
“We can’t prove that she knew that he was going to kill this person, because if we could have proven that … under the law, she’d be guilty of murder as an aider and abetter,” Wagstaffe stated.
Zaib Afridi’s sister doesn’t face any fees as a result of there isn’t a proof that she knew about her nephew’s alleged crime, in line with Wagstaffe.
Maarij Afridi’s case continues to be pending. He has been charged with homicide with enhancements for mendacity in wait, use of a firearm and nice bodily harm, in line with courtroom information. He has pleaded not responsible.
His subsequent courtroom look is Dec. 2, with a trial anticipated to start in mid-2026. He stays in custody with no bail standing.