FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. — A Fairfax County 19-year-old accused of murdering two of his high school classmates took the stand in his own defense Tuesday, insisting he never intended to hurt anyone.
It’s a distressing tale of alleged rival drug rings at South County High School. Zachary Burkard allegedly taunted the "One Way" gang on Snapchat to fight, which ended in the death of a 16-year-old and 17-year-old when they showed up to fight him in his friend's garage.
On the stand, Burkard – in a striped tie, pale from more than a year in jail – insisted he only shot Ersheen Elaiasher, 17, in the chest because he refused to stop beating his buddy. He added that he thought he’d fired between two other teens who were rushing him, and only realized later that he’d hit Calvin Van Pelt, 16, in the back.
The weapon was a black polymer ghost gun that Burkard had posed with in a video he admitted posting online in hopes of convincing everyone his rivals were weak. He said he never thought they’d turn up at his friend’s house.
“Did you want to kill Ersheen?” Burkard's public defender, Bryan Kennedy, asked. “No!” Burkard replied. “Did you want to kill Calvin?” “No!”
A police body camera video played in court showed Burkard holding something over Ersheen's body when the first officer arrived. He stood calmly as the officer handcuffed him and never said anything about acting to protect his friend or being rushed by the other teens.
"I was in shock," he offered by way of explanation in court.
Ersheen – a refugee from Sudan – was set to graduate from South County the month after he died. Calvin and Burkard were also students there at the time of the shooting.
Burkard’s best friend, Andre Krynski, testified that earlier on the day of the shooting, Ersheen threatened to kill him and his whole family, which he said he told to Burkard.
Burkard said he was unsure if any of the four teens confronting his buddy had weapons, but said he knew many people they ran with did.
The case is expected to go to the jury on Wednesday.
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