"It was probably a Jersey mic sandwich": Wild reactions erupt as Virginia man is sentenced to 100 years for killing coworker who stole his lunch

Back in April 2021, a 25-year-old Virginia man named Bazen Berhe beat his co-worker to death at a Target parking lot after accusing him of stealing his lunch. He pleaded guilty to first-degree murder on October 2023 and on Tuesday, January 30, 2024, he was given a 100-year prison sentence with 30 years suspended.

According to a press release from the Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney, he even threatened to kill more people if he was not given the harshest sentence possible. Netizens were stunned by the man's crime and wondered why he would do all that for one stolen lunch. One X user commented:

The announcement of the murderer's sentence brought out some wild reactions (Image via X/@DailyLoud)

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Netizens want to know the food that the Virginia man went to prison for

According to a statement released by the Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano on April 14, 2021, Bazen Berhe, a man from Alexandria, Virginia, was reportedly "upset" over his co-worker, 58-year-old Hernan Leiva, for allegedly stealing his lunch from the office fridge. Berhe worked as the janitor at the Baily's Crossroads Target in Virginia.

The very next day, the agitated Virginia man bought a couple of knives and a hammer before leaving his shift as part of his plan to kill his co-worker. According to the testimony given to detectives, he spent the day after that "training for the murder."

On April 17, 2021, Bazn Berhe waited for Leiva at the Target parking lot. When Leiva finally showed up, the 58-year-old was fatally bludgeoned and stabbed by Berhe before fleeing the scene. After his capture, he put up no fight and immediately confessed to his crime. He pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in October 2023.

On Tuesday, January 30, 2024, Berhe received a 100-year sentence with 30 years suspended for first-degree murder. Descano's report revealed that the man even pleaded for the harshest sentence possible by threatening to kill other people if he was not given the same. He is set to serve a total of 70 years.

Social media users were stunned by the duration of the jail sentence given to Bazen Berhe and the nature of his vicious crime. People wondered why he was ready to throw everything away and serve 100 years in prison for some stolen lunch. However, a few others joked that nobody should ever steal anybody's lunch.

Many laid out suggestions as to what his stolen lunch might've been, with "sandwich" and "jollof rice" being the most common. Here are a few X reactions to the sentence:

Netizens had some wild reactions to the case of Bazen Berhe (Image via X/@Daily Loud)

Netizens had some wild reactions to the case of Bazen Berhe (Image via X/@DailyLoud)

Netizens had some wild reactions to the case of Bazen Berhe (Image via X/@DailyLoud)

Netizens had some wild reactions to the case of Bazen Berhe (Image via X/@DailyLoud)

Steve Descano was quoted in the statement as saying:

"Mr. Leiva's unnecessary and tragic death leaves behind a grieving family and community, one that will never be the same after such a senseless act of violence."

He added:

"In this case, because of the unique and self-proclaimed danger the defendant continues to pose to the community, today's sentence was a necessary outcome for maintaining public safety."

As mentioned above, Bazen Berhe from Virginia is set to serve 70 years behind bars.