When Gabe Mukendi’s family arrived in Kentwood from the refugee camp in Malawi in 2015, Mr Lioja was among the first to visit. He brought the family two Android phones and a pizza of pepperoni from Little Caesars. Gabe, now 17, said he practiced the haircut of Mr Lioya, who has lived with the family for years.
“He was a really cool guy and he was very dedicated,” Gabe said.
But Mr. Leia also got involved. In August 2015, when he was 19, he was charged with drunk driving, but did not appear at three subsequent hearings. He has been arrested more than a dozen times, mostly for car crimes, but has also faced three charges of domestic violence, including a 2017 case in which a police officer said Mr Leia was “very drunk”. “. The fines have increased. He spent time in prison – a few days here, a month there. Assessments for substance and alcohol abuse have been awarded twice; the results are not public.
Daniel Burns, a lawyer representing Mr Lioja in an early case, said he first encountered Mr Lioja in the lobby of Kentwood District Court.
“He was confused about his case and was having a hard time,” Mr Burns said, adding that Mr Lioja seemed sincere and hardworking. “He presents himself with innocence. I think it’s from the language. He takes the time to answer to make sure he calculates everything, understands everything correctly. ”
Although he lost his license, Mr Leia continues to drive, apparently in borrowed cars: a silver Chrysler, a white Honda, a blue SUV, a black Ford.
His jobs were factory concerts. When Mr Lioja filled out a court form in mid-2016, he misspelled both the street name of his apartment and his employer for a year, something he called the Mondel Service, which did not exist. He said he earned $ 320 a week. He later worked at a turkey processing plant in 2018, but left after a colleague stabbed him in the stomach, his family said. Most recently, his parents said, he worked for an auto parts manufacturer.
In August 2020, he wrote on Facebook that he wanted to stop messing around as the eldest son. Until then, he was also the father of two daughters. “I’m trying this year,” he wrote. He added: “We can be average.”
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