A 17-year-old in Iowa will serve several years in prison for murdering his older brother, fatally stabbing his 19-year-old sibling, and telling authorities he was tired of being “picked on” by the victim.
Polk County District Judge Joseph Seidlin sentenced Mohamed Mutaz Elzubeir to up to ten years in a state prison for the murder of Abdelmagid “Majet” Elzubeir in 2024, according to authorities. According to a news release from prosecutors, the judge imposed the sentence after Elzubeir, who was initially charged with first-degree murder, reached an agreement with prosecutors to plead guilty to one count of voluntary manslaughter in connection with his brother’s death.
The fatal stabbing occurred on June 11, 2024, at the brothers’ family home on the 900 block of Oakridge Drive in Des Moines, according to police. Officers from the Des Moines Police Department responded to the residence following a report of a possible stabbing. First responders reported finding the victim, later identified as Abdelmagid Elzubeir, with a stab wound to the neck.
The victim was taken to UnityPoint Methodist Medical Center for treatment, but his injuries proved fatal and he was declared dead.
The defendant, who was 16 at the time of the attack, turns 18 next month. Because of his age, prosecutors said Mohamed Elzubeir was eligible for a variety of punishments, including deferred judgment and probation. However, the court agreed with both prosecutors’ and defense attorneys’ recommendations, ultimately concluding that the defendant’s actions warranted imprisonment.
The judge cited a variety of factors in explaining her decision to imprison Mohamed Elzubeir.
“Mohamed has a long, troubled history of managing his behaviors,” Seidlin told prosecutors. The judge went on to say that a 2021 car accident caused the defendant to suffer a traumatic brain injury, which Seidlin said exacerbated the defendant’s behavioral issues.
The judge stated that Mohamed Elzubeir appeared “to do well in a structured environment, and that prison would keep the community safe while providing the opportunity for rehabilitation.”
During Wednesday’s hearing, prosecutors claimed that Mohamed Elzubeir told the court “several times” that he “was guilty” and “had blood on his hands.”
“I stabbed my brother in the neck with a kitchen knife,” he stated in the release. “My older brother had picked on me and bullied me for years.”
Mohamed Elzubeir stated that the victim was “screaming” at him and then “pushed him” before Mohamed Elzubeir “swung at him with the knife.”
