Officials: VA Man Gets 100 Years for Killing Coworker over Stolen Lunch

A man in Fairfax County, Virginia, has been sentenced to 100 years in prison after killing his Target coworker, whom he claimed stole his lunch, in 2021.

Officials sentenced 25-year-old Bazen Berhe on Tuesday in the slaying of Hernan Leiva, 58, at the store located in Bailey’s Crossroads, WUSA 9 reported Tuesday.

Images show the man and the victim in the case:

Fairfax County Commonwealth Attorney Steve Descano detailed the case in a recent statement:

At the sentencing hearing, the defendant threatened to kill or hurt other people if he was not given the harshest sentence. The judge sentenced him to 100 years, with 30 years suspended, for the first-degree murder charge, so the defendant will serve 70 years active incarceration.

Berhe, of Alexandria, claimed he was upset with Leiva, who was a janitor at the Target, for taking Berhe’s lunch from the office fridge. After this incident occurred on Wednesday, April 14, 2021, Berhe began to plan the murder over the following few days. The next day, April 15, Berhe purchased a hammer and two knives while leaving his shift at Target, and he told detectives that he spent the following day, April 16, “training for the murder.” In the early hours of Saturday, April 17, Berhe arrived at the employee parking lot and laid in wait for Leiva. When Leiva arrived for work, Berhe stabbed and bludgeoned him to death before fleeing. Berhe confessed to the crime immediately and pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in October 2023.

According to Leiva’s obituary, he resided in Falls Church, Virginia, and is survived by his partner, Esperanza, two sons, siblings, nephews, nieces, and numerous friends.

“Hernan Leiva was born in rural El Salvador. From a young age, he was an extraordinarily hard worker and prominent figure to his family. Hernan loved spending time with family and friends,” the obituary reads.

“He always had a smile on his face, and one of his special gifts was his sense of humor. Hernan will be deeply missed by all who knew him, loved him, and shared a laugh with him,” it states.