One guilty of obstructing justice in Ghiasi death

One man pleaded guilty to obstructing justice Wednesday in the shooting death of an Ottawa teen, while another suspect continues to evade police.

Zakaria Dourhnou, 18, was charged with being an accessory after the fact in the December murder of Yazdan Ghiasi, 16, whose body was dumped from a car onto Booth Street near Ottawa's Chinatown area.

Three other men have been charged in the case.

Dourhnou has remained in custody since being arrested in December, and Wednesday pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of obstructing justice and breaking parole conditions.

Dourhnou attempted to scrub blood out of the vehicle in which Ghiasi was shot, an agreed statement of facts said.

He is set to be sentenced on March 25. The sentence could range from probation to several years in prison, although any jail time would be shortened due to the three months Dourhnou already served.

"I think it's a significant period of time for a young man who has never spent time in jail before," Dourhnou's lawyer Mark Ertel said.

"I'm sure the judge will take that into account."

Suspected shooter still on loose

Ottawa police had hoped to arrest the suspected shooter in the case Wednesday.

Mohamed Wehbe, 18, of Ottawa, is wanted on a second-degree murder charge in the case, but fled the country on Dec. 11. Police told CBC News he purchased a return ticket, and could have been on a flight from Paris to Montreal Wednesday afternoon.

Ottawa police attended the airport, but advised of no arrest.

Crown attorney Mark Holmes said he had not been informed of Wehbe's whereabouts or possible arrival. He said if Wehbe was returning, it was not as part of any brokered deal with the Crown.

Legal proceedings continue against 2

Abdulhamid Wehbe, 20, who is believed to have been the driver, has also been charged with second-degree murder. Khaled Wehbe, 19, is charged with being an accessory after the fact.

Both Khaled Wehbe and Abdulhamid Wehbe were released on bail.

Ghiasi, a student at Notre Dame High School, was shot twice in what police described as a transaction over a bag of drugs, believed to be marijuana, the court heard.

An autopsy later revealed Ghiasi had died from a gunshot wound to the heart.