Skip to content

Ethiopian mother of 3-year old in Virginia killed by husband

Posted on , Updated on by Elias Kifle

The Ethiopian community in northern Virginia is in shock today after learning about the killing of Metsihet Belete, a resident of Arlington, Virginia, who is originally from Ethiopia.

Arlington Police have arrested Metsihet’s husband, Sirak Gebeyehu, 27, who is suspected of choking her to death.

Metsihet was pronounced dead Thursday afternoon after the effort by doctors to revive her for the past two days has failed.

Metsihet, 24, had been in the U.S. for the past two years. Six months ago, she had succeeded in bringing to the U.S. her husband, Sirak, and their 3-year old son Ezra, from Ethiopia, after saving enough money working as a waitress.

Metsihet had been working at Lalibela Restaurant in Arlington VA ever since she came to the U.S.

Police are investigating the motive for her killing.

84 thoughts on “Ethiopian mother of 3-year old in Virginia killed by husband”

  2. It is not a judgment but there is noway to kill someone you love after what she did for him and her baby.what happend in US what let halp the kids. now let find the way to help the kid.

  3. What a terrible news is it? Firs of all, I need to extend my deep condolonce to the rest the family. Ethiopians are famous for their good morality, descipline, well manner and beautyful culture. I read all of the messages which have been posted so far. some contain fair comments and full condolence to the family, which are understandable.Few comments contain a little dissapointment. As far as this is concerned, my message to all ethiopian’s brothers and sisters is this kind of incident happens one probabaly in thousands ratio. This is not common in Ethiopian community nor the murderer (her husband ) does not represent the rest of the ethiopian population. Please, do not try to come up to the conclusion that this is a common practice to our community. I hope the same incident would never happen again. We strongly condemned this inhuman act. However, this coud not be the beggining to loose our world wide reputation.
    Lulu

  4. Dear Yager sew, let me start by saying, God bless her soul and also God have mearcy on her husband for doing this action of evil. But above all, God bless their beloved son Ezra and may our Almighty protect him from all evil and make him become a better person. If the family member of this chil need help, let the rest of us (the Ethiopians) be open minded and extend our hospitality like our fathers did in the past! God bless Ethiopia and her Childeren!!! Amen!!!!!

    P.S. In regards to any support of this family, can some one who is clother to baby Ezra and the next care giver of him come forward and post thier address and tel#, so that we can indelge ourselves in assisting them??????

  6. It was very unfortunate about the situation at hand that occurred. A hard working Ethiopian women who had a dream of living the American dream with her husband. A beautiful life taken away to easily. My condolences to the family and friends.

  7. This is such a sad sad news. We can’t put the blame on the husband nor the wife. We don’t know what was going on b/n them so it is not good to prejudge before knowing the situation. Let’s all pray for baby Ezra and for his dad. God has taken his mom……..

  8. I am as shocked as anyone in our Ethiopian community in Arlington. I have visited Lalibela several times to enjoy the cusine and the dancers displaying our beautiful culture. I was often served by Metsie and found her to be a beautiful person who represented Ethiopia at its finest. I knew that she was a very hard worker who always served with a smile. We often spoke about our homeland and she missed her husband and Ezra. I was so proud of her when she saved enough money to be reunited with her family. I saw her as recently as the Saturday before she was murdered. Several of my friends met there to celebrate a birthday and we enjoyed her company. The sad part to me is that everyone who has known her personally has said good things about her but now after her death, I hear people speculating and creating rumors about what she might have been doing before he came. Why are people saying unfounded things about Metsie now? She had a good reputation and loved her family. Why are our people asking if she was dating someone or doing something immoral? If that was the case, why would she work day and night trying to bring her husband here to be with her? Please preserve the sweetest memories of Metsie and know that she was a child of God who loved her family and loved life. The tragedy is that this might shatter three families. Her husband’s family, Metsie’s family, and Ezra’s remaining life without loving parents.

  9. IT IS SO SAD TO HEAR ABOUT THE LOSE OF OUR SISTER. NO MATTER WHAT STORY THE INCIDENT MIGHT HAVE BEHIND WE SHOULD ALL SUPPORT ISRA AND THE FAMILY.
    GOD BLES HER SOLE!

  13. So hard to believe, I looked it up in the Arlington Police database and there it is

    http://www.arlingtonva.us/Departments/Police/crimereport/ViewDetail.asp?report_index=1290&report_date=6/4/2008

    ATTEMPTED MURDER – ARREST, 6/3/2008, 1200 block of S. Thomas St. At approximately 10:18 am on June 3, officers responded to an apartment for a reported domestic dispute. A 26 year old woman was found lying on a bedroom floor, with injuries to the head and neck. She was treated on scene by medics and transported to a local hospital where she remains in grave condition. The victim’s husband, Sirak Manbegirot, 28, of Arlington, was later arrested and charged with Attempted Murder. He is being held without bond in the Arlington County Detention Facility.

  14. It is not a judgment but there is no way to kill someone you love after what she did for him and her baby. Please try to help the kid as much as possible. O my GOD!

  15. WOW its really shoking news and pls for all of us before we doing something we have to think twice .I was reading all the comments above and some of them left Unnecessary message which is not Expect from our Society what if, if this happend on your sis or bro so don’t judge him . i don’t know what to say “MAY GOD GAVE HIM MERCY “and My condolences to the family that’s it………………….Pls lets love , respect ,help eachother
    may your soul rest in peace

  16. betam yasaznal miskin tazaznalech sew hono ymaysasat yalem meweyayet efthe nebere gin min yadergal ahun eswa alfalech
    lijachew gin betam tazaznaelch chigrnew.geta ykir ybelew .
    betam yasaznal miskin tazaznalech sew hono ymaysasat yalem meweyayet efthe nebere gin min yadergal ahun eswa alfalech
    lijachew gin betam tazaznaelch chigrnew.geta ykir ybelew .

  18. I am shocked and suddened by this tragedy. My deepest heartfelt condolences to every one involved in this sad news. I hope Ezra will find a warm home to grow up normaly despite the loss of two potentially loving parents. Let us leave the judgement to the laws of the land and the ultimate judge God.

  22. I feel sorry for the son and her family. Her husband should of just walked out, but he didn’t and he went the evil and now he has to suffer the consequences. I don’t feel sorry for him at all.

  23. በጣም አስደንጋጭ ነገር ነው:: ሰው ለማሰብ የተሰጠውን ዐይምሮ ለምን እንደማይጠቀምበት አይገባኝም:: ነፍሳን በገነት ያኑራት:: እሱም የጁን ያገኛል::

  24. what a shocking story. May God be with her Son and family.

    For Meku
    we all should know that marriage is a consentual agreement between parties. things might change in the way, you try to work it out if not move on because it is the end of the world. there is life after that marriage ends alsi you need to give yourself a chance to live also the other person. special if Kids are involved you might not care but the kids needs their Mother and Father in their life.

    In any case killing is not the answer we are in year 2008. we should know better. if nothing eals she was the mother of his son. who is going to raise this poor kid he lost both of them.

  26. we love you for ever god bless you keep you heaven we always pray to you and your family ok you was a very good working women in your life things will happen sudnely any way peace and lovely rest for you we will not forget your smile forever

  27. yohannes teklu from Ethiopia
    i just don’t understand what’s happening in you(so called) ethiopians out zer. a single man’s act is becoming a behaviour of a country. you know what? it’s also a shame for all of us.every body believes zat such kind of act is a devil’s wish , but we don’t have to justify it cause it’s god’s (jesus’s or allah’s) decision. as ethiopian, what we have to do is pray pray & pray to make our country as well as ze world blessed.
    yesew bet yesew new yikr tebabalu!

  28. Jesus Christ,

    I know her and her family personally. I am really, really sorry this happened to her and her family. Gobez, hold out your temper!

    Gudegnaw

  29. I have seen similar tendency with my sister’s husband towards her. She brought him from ET after a lot of pushing. Now i am warning her about a possible trajedy simmering before her own eyes.

    People, my message to you is that never ever force a relationship to occur. let it happen naturally with no effort at all.

  30. As the bible say, “when a man/woman die, their plan also perish. It is not the loss of the body of a mother, husband and son that is lost but the original plan of the family. Why the mother work hard to bring her husband and son and the son and the father travelled from a distant land for such senseless end? Why not we Erhiopian control our temper no matter what the offense could be from the other side and try to solve probles between us in a civilized way?. Remember! patience and fortitude conqure every thing.

  31. I would like to say something to Ato Damtew on your No. 35 comment. You think those who were born during Mengistu Regime are who have problems? I don’t think so. It’s we, who gave them birth during Mengistu who are mentally sick, in our early twenties had suffered seeing dead bodies on the streets, red terror, killing each other specially after killing saying killed by mistake so on & so forth….etc..Almost all Ethiopians didn’t have any idea of poletics & changes of Govn’t. Everything was new for us, we didn’t know what was going on, we were all confused even our parents. But our parents, who almost finished their half of a century lives when the Military govern’t started, means who are now in their seventies and eighties and most of them already gone. Our age now is their ages (34 years ago) arround the fall of H.E.M.H.S.I. Regime. So if we see deep, how negative things are getting worse and worse, during the Emperor only students used to go out exactly for four years after completing 12th grade that was it & very normal. and those students mostly were from the High Rank family; few from the lower, if they ever get the chance of scholarship which was very rare. I remember those who were in the U.S. for 2,3, years waiting for some time left to come the Military goven’t overthrew the Emperor and they were told to stay wherever they were because situations were not safe…… To make the long story short, students who used to be sent to the States couldn’t wait to go back to Ethiopia. They used to count not the year but every single day. Nobody was willing to go out of our country whether poor or rich. Look now we see just the opposite. Even people who have never seen the Capital City (Addis A.)are here; means at that time no body wanted to move from whatever they have & wherever we lived we were fully satisfied. Now the same generation, which is ours some of us stayed there and some wanted to go out wherever it is we didn’t care…Africa, Europe, East, Far East, U.S.A. Hell ……name it… as long as not Ethiopia no matter where?????? I don’t really understand, even this is not normal. What does this indicate? “I’ll just go and see what I can do for living, for raising-up my children, for my marriage life, as a single woman or man….blindly. So the same generation back home because they didn’t get the chance or didn’t want to go out whatever the reason is doesn’t mean they’re not frustrated or depressed; They are, we all are. So wherever we are, out or inside Ethiopian those kids born at that time,or were 3, 4 years old trust me we didn’t give them the proper necessities they were supposed to get since our mind is full of negative thinking, bitter, we hardly say positive things to eachother…..All these are because of our background our boyhood & girlhood is dark age. They took it from us we were like a bridge between our parents and our children. It’s we who are the LOST GENERATION not our kids. Maybe because of us they too might be lost; yes they are & will. Unless we do something right now try to work on it very hard things won’t get better. As one of our brothers blamed the Ethiopian Orthodox Churches in the Metro Politan Area, I also put the blame on our medias, the radio stations. Saturday, Sunday we have more than enough stations as far as I know. Although after 1997 Eth.Cal.I am not interested the way I used to. But instead of blaming, insulting each other, the priests political parties which doesn’t lead them anywhere as we already saw….. try to give lessons like the difference between parents and kids- raised up here; that they have different mentalities, that parents who should try to change not their kids, we brought them here where they spend most of their time with the culture they are in. Instead of making them understand what we want them to do, we should try to lesten to what they’re trying say; to discuss the matter so that they won’t develope unger & bitterness…etc just like us. Anyway, this needs a meeting or something serious than this….We reach no where with the fanatic traditional concept I tell you. In the first place we shouldn’t bring them here or give birth here if we do….Hai!!! When you are in Rome act like the Romans….. This is really a very serious issue that will never stop unless we do something we talk & talk &….never stops Let’s try to use our radio stations and to teach & learn with eachother before things go out of hand please please .

  32. LORD HAVE MERCY, CHRIST HAVE MERCY, LORD HAVE MERCY- Alleluya Amen

    EBAKEH AMLAK HOY TAREKEN BEKACHEHU BELEN, YENAT ABATACHEN AMLAK BALADEGNBET MEDER EGNAM LEJOCHACHENEM TESEKAYEN. AGERACHEN SELAM HONA YEMETETERANEN GIZE KERB ADERGELEN. KETATACHEN ENDIGETA FEKADEH YEHUN – YABREHAM AMLAK, YEYAKOB AMLAK, YEYOSEPH AMLAK HOY TEMATSENEN. EMEBETACHEN DENGEL MARIAM HOY LEMEGNELEN AMEN.

    EBAKACHEHU ENTSELEY EGZIO ENEBEL YETSELOT GIZE NEW KEMETABEN MEAT YESEWREN ZEND ENEBERKEK KELEBACHEN – ADERA ADERA. TSELOT BETCHA NEW MEFTEHEW LELAW WAGA YELEWUM AYENEW TAGELNEW MESLON. MENGEDU TSELOT BECHA HONUWAL.

  33. እየተስተዋለ………..
    እንደ እኔ አመለካከት የቱንም አይነት ወንጀል ብትፈጽም በባሏ ልትገደል አይገባትም ።
    ነገር ግን ለጠቅላላ እውቀት ይሆን ዘንድ ለግድያ ምክንያት የሚሆኑ ነገሮችንም መጠንቀቅ እንዳለብን ለማስታወስ ያክል እሷ ከሃገር ቤት ማምጣቷን እንደትልቅ ውለታ መቁጠር የለብንም…ምክንያቱም ሰው በድህነቱም ቢሆን ክብሩን እና ትዳሩ የሰመረለት እንዲሆን ይፈልጋል።በአብዛኛው በአውሮፓ እና በአሜሪካ በወንዶች እና በሴቶች ላይ የሚታይ በትዳር ላይ የመማገጥ ነገር በስፋት ይስተዋላል።ይህ ነው እንግዲህ አብዛኛውን ጊዜ ለግድያ መንስኤው።በ እሱ ላይ ሌላ ደርባ ጦጣ ስታደርገው እሱ ደግሞ በሰይጣን ባህሪው ተገፋፍቶ መገላገል እያለ መታገልን ይመርጥና ይገድላታል።መፍትሄው ግን መለያየት እና ሁሉም የራሱን ኑሮ መኖር ነበር።
    ወይም ሴቶች የወጭ ሃገርን ህግ ተንተርሰው በወንዶች ላይ ዛቻ ስለሚያደርጉ ወደፉት ከሚጠብቃቸውን የህግ መንገላታት የተረፍን መስሎአቸው አንዳንድ ራስ ወዳዶች የዚህን አይነት እርምጃ እንደመፍትሄ ይወስዱታል።
    እናም እባካችሁ ለትዳራችሁ ታማኝ ሁኑ።ለገንዘብ እና ለጊዜያዊ ሰይጣናዊ ፍቅር ብላችሁ ከሌላ ጋር እንደፌንጣ እየዘለላችሁ የሰው ደምብዛት አትቀስቅሱ።
    ይህ ምክር ለወንዱም ለሴቱም ሲሆን ምናልባትም ለአንዳንዶቻችሁ ተራ ነገር ሊመስል ይችላል…..ውጤቱ ግን አንድ ቀን እንደዚህ የከፋ ይሆናል…ሴቶችም በተራቸው……። እናም እየትስተዋለ…….ደግሞ አጉል አዛኝ አንሁን…የችግሩን መንስኤ አውቀን ዘላቂ መፍትሄ መፈለግ እንጅ ሰው ተገደለ በተባለ ቁጥር ከ አልጋ እየወደቁ ከንፈር መምጠጥ የአንዞ እንባ አይነት ነው የሚሆነው እናም…እየተስተዋል…….

Leave a Reply