Gunnar Eliot Yeager, a 33-year-old man from Medford, Oregon, was found dead on November 29, 2021, in Oak Run, California. His body, along with that of 32-year-old Meba Solomon Getachew, was discovered near two parked vehicles on a dirt road off Zig Zag Lane. Both men had been shot to death. The investigation revealed that Yeager and Getachew had traveled to Shasta County to sell marijuana to Simon Abraham Tikue. However, the transaction turned deadly when Tikue robbed and murdered them.
Simon Abraham Tikue, a 39-year-old man, was arrested in September 2022 in connection with the double homicide. Tikue had a history of violent crimes, including a previous incident in 2018 where he kidnapped and robbed another victim during a marijuana transaction. DNA evidence from a glove left at the scene of Yeager and Getachew's murder matched Tikue's DNA from the 2018 case, leading to his arrest and subsequent charges.
Tikue faced multiple charges, including two counts of first-degree murder, three counts of second-degree robbery, kidnapping for robbery, assault with a firearm, criminal threats, and false imprisonment by vehicle. In August 2024, a Shasta County jury found Tikue guilty on all counts. He was convicted of the murders of Yeager and Getachew, as well as the 2018 robbery and kidnapping. Tikue's sentencing is scheduled for September 25, 2024, where he is expected to receive life in prison without the possibility of parole.
