Pubdate: Tue, 08 Nov 2005
Source: Calgary Herald (CN AB)
Copyright: 2005 Calgary Herald
Contact:  http://www.canada.com/calgary/calgaryherald/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/66
Author: Daryl Slade, Calgary Herald

ADDICT TOOK ARSON JOB TO FEED COCAINE HABIT

Two young children killed in a deliberately set fire to their
Applewood home last year were victims of a crack cocaine addict doing
a "job" for money to buy his next hit of illegal drugs, a court was
told Monday.

"I cared about my fix of cocaine. That's all I cared," Michael Douglas
Sheets, who has already admitted his role in the blaze and is serving
a 15-year prison sentence, testified at the trial of three co-accused
persons.

"I'm not gonna blame it on the drugs. It's my own stupidity for taking
the job to begin with."

Sheets told defence lawyer Alain Hepner, who represents Abdulazziz
Ellahib, that he was not stoned when he and Fernum Kezar drove to the
home of Tahsin Al-Mayahi and Salima Barih about 1:30 a.m. on Nov. 18,
broke a window and tossed in a Molotov cocktail.

He maintained he and Kezar were hired by Ellahib to scare Barih, whose
husband had been involved in an affair with Ellahib's partner, Manar
Hussein.

Sheets said he tried, as they drove to the home, to talk Kezar out of
setting a fire.

However, Hepner accused Sheets of making up that fact, as he had never
previously mentioned it to the police, prosecutors or the court.

Hepner also accused Sheets of lying about his alleged knowledge that
nobody would be home at one of two adjoining units in the three-unit
building, something Hepner said was also divulged for the first time.

Sheets, 36, admitted he had no idea if anyone was home at the third
adjoining unit.

He said he and Kezar, 27, had been assured by Ellahib that nobody was
present at the target home when he offered them $120 to do the job.

"I'm not a kid killer," said Sheets. "If I had known there was someone
in that home, I would have taken my life in a heartbeat to get them
out. It's common sense.

"If someone was at home, I would have stopped any kind of fire being
made . . . it wasn't my idea to burn the place, just to throw the rock
(through the window)."

Ellahib, 39, and Hussein, 26, each face one charge of arson causing
bodily harm to Barih and two counts of manslaughter for the deaths of
Ali Al-Mayahi, 5, and his sister Saja, 4. Tony Dewitt, 41, is charged
with arson.

Sheets and Kezar each pleaded guilty to all three charges. Kezar was
sentenced last month to 16 years in prison,

Hepner attacked Sheets' credibility by methodically going through the
man's criminal record dating back to 1984. It included at least 20
convictions, for robbery, robbery with violence, kidnapping,
possession of a weapon, assault with a weapon, break and enter, theft,
possession of stolen property, personation with intent, being
unlawfully at large, obstruction of justice and failing to appear in
court.

He will be back on the witness stand when the trial before Court of
Queen's Bench Justice Beth Hughes resumes Wednesday.
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MAP posted-by: Derek