Friend of murder suspect: 'I know for a fact, (he's) not guilty'

Friend of murder suspect: 'I know for a fact, (he's) not guilty' »Play Video
Omar Ibrahim, 18, makes his first court appearance Thursday after police say he was involved in the murder of 25-year-old Charles Weber who was found dead last Saturday in Southwest Portland.

PORTLAND, Ore. – The friend of one of three men accused in a violent killing says the person he knows couldn't have been involved.

The trio of suspects made their first court appearance Thursday and police believe there could be more arrests.

Hussein Ali Haidar, 21, and 20-year-old Mahmoud Moustafa are charged with aggravated murder. Omar Ibrahim, 18, faces a murder charge.

Police found 25-year-old Charles Weber dead from a head injury last Saturday in Southwest Portland.

But a friend of Ibrahim, Ayman Hamadeh, said there's no way he's tied to the crime.

He said his friend was nowhere near the murder scene the night of the killing and there are several people ready to testify Ibrahim had no part in the killing.

"I can't eat, or sleep, or anything, knowing my best friend, who is innocent, is inside and hasn't committed a crime," Hamadeh said.

He said he can't believe the friend he grew up with in Egypt is now accused in the brutal Portland killing.

"I wouldn't be trying to help Omar if I knew he was guilty. But I know for a fact that Omar is not guilty," Hamadeh said. "He has been my best friend since the seventh-grade. I have always looked up to him. I know the two other guys, and they're good guys, but I don't know where they were or what they were doing that night."

Hamadeh said Ibrahim was in college classes until 8 p.m. the night of the murder then spent the rest of the evening with a group of friends. He said he's been stopped repeatedly by police since the murders. He said he has offered to help any way he can.

"I'll come to your office; I'll deal with anything you need. If there's anything I know I'll help you," Hamadeh said. "But they always tell me, 'You know what it is. We can't tell you.' And that's like, what does that mean?"

Hamadeh plans to help his friend find an attorney to fight the charges against someone he convinced to come to Portland from Egypt a year ago.

"We're just searching for justice," said Hamadeh. "Like, he shouldn't be here. He's an international student, you know? His parents are out of the country. They're freaking out! I feel so bad for Omar. I wish I could be in there instead of him because Omar is such a nice person, such a sensitive nice person who would never commit a crime."

Officials at Portland Community College would not even confirm Thursday whether any of the suspects were enrolled at the school.

Police said they arrested one of the suspects, Moustafa, on the college's Sylvania campus in Southwest Portland three days after Weber was found dead.