Albert Mustapha was found Guilty this month in the 2017 murder of a Nashville mother and her son. The Davidson County jury found Mustapha Guilty of TWO counts of First Degree Premediated Murder, TWO counts of First Degree Felony Murder, one count of Especially Aggravated Robbery, Aggravated Burglary, and possession of a Dangerous Weapon during the Commission of a Dangerous Felony.
Congratulations to Division I Team Leader, Assistant District Attorney Wesley King, along with Assistant District Attorney Kendall Ponchillia, and the entire Division I team on a Guilty verdict on all 7 counts in a horrible double murder case from 2017.
General King describes the details of the case:
Albert Mustapha was charged, along with co-Defendants Kendre Shields and Chasitie Smith, with murdering a young man named Osmani Munongerwa and his mother Isha Musa in their home the evening of July 22, 2017. Mr. Munongerwa was shot multiple times in his upstairs bedroom and Ms. Musa was shot multiple times on the first floor at the foot of the stairs. Ms. Musa had left Somalia about 20 years before and Osmani was born shortly after in Kenya. Found in Ms. Musa’s bedroom were practice questions in anticipation of her upcoming American citizenship exam. Four TDOC inmates were called to testify at the trial. The trial had several unique moments, including a witness feigning a violent seizure on the witness stand and another witness who testified that he alone was responsible for the murders not Mr. Mustapha.
General King says A LOT of Praise goes out for the Teamwork to secure Justice in this case:
“Kendall Ponchillia insisted on joining the team a few days before trial and put in more work than there were hours from that point moving forward. The amount of work she poured into the case was monumental, handling numerous key witnesses and digital presentations with very little time to prepare. She delivered a blistering closing argument. Division I Secretary Candice Felts took care of all the rest of our cases all week, allowing us time to focus on the complexities and challenges of this trial. Digital Specialist Lili Wall was incredible dealing with numerous last second requests, including scrambling over to Court to assist with videos on the fly, fielding late night SOS requests, and becoming an active trial participant during closing argument. Investigator Randy Martin was clutch in securing witnesses and evidence. Assistant Director of Finance, Ethan Burns handled a very late request for an out-of-state witness that we had to have. And of course, Division I Victim Witness Coordinator Cathy Harrison was absolutely wonderful with the family. There were multiple family and community members present each day of the trial, and Cathy navigated their various needs (including Somali translators) brilliantly. I cannot say enough about all these folks – each of them was critical in securing justice for the family.”
Mustapha was convicted in Murfreesboro last year of another count of First Degree Murder. Automatic life sentences were imposed upon conviction in our case. There will be a sentencing hearing in March for the Court to determine whether any of the counts will be imposed consecutively. In conjunction with his Murfreesboro case, Mr. Mustapha could be sentenced to close to 180 – 200 years if counts are imposed consecutively.
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE ENTIRE DIVISION 1 TEAM IN SECURING JUSTICE FOR THE DEATHS OF A MOTHER AND SON.
Albert Mustapha