VA man sentenced to 100 years for brutally killing co-worker over stolen lunch

FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. - A Virginia man has been sentenced to 100 years in prison for the 2021 murder of a co-worker who he said stole his lunch from their work fridge.

Bazn Berhe, 25, received the 100-year sentence with 30 years suspended, so he will serve 70 years of active incarceration, the Fairfax County Commonwealth's Attorney announced Tuesday.

Berhe was charged with first-degree murder after beating and stabbing 58-year-old Hernan Leiva to death in the parking lot of the Bailey’s Crossroads Target, where they both worked, in the early morning hours on April 17, 2021.

The attack stemmed from an incident that occurred just days before, on Wednesday, April 14. According to prosecutors, Berhe was angry that Leiva, who was a janitor at the Target, had taken his lunch from the office fridge that day.

Berhe said after this incident, he began plotting the murder. The very next day, Berhe purchased a hammer and two knives while leaving his shift at Target and he told detectives that he spent the following day, Friday, April 16, "training for the murder."

Then, he put his plan into action Saturday morning. On April 17, Berhe arrived at the employee parking lot early and sat waiting for Leiva to arrive.

When Leiva got there, Berhe attacked him, stabbing and bludgeoning him to death before fleeing. Berhe confessed to the crime immediately and pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in October 2023.

At his sentencing hearing, prosecutors say Berhe threatened to kill or hurt other people if he was not given the harshest possible sentence.

"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," Commonweath’s Attorney Steve Descano said. "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."