Trial Underway for Gang Member Accused of Killing Cabbie in Lemon Grove

Testimony is expected to begin Tuesday in the trial of a gang member accused of fatally shooting a taxi driver in Lemon Grove at the end of a cab ride.

Demetrius Sissac, 21, is charged with murder in the Oct. 30, 2011, death of Jalaludin Hamrah, a 39-year-old immigrant from Afghanistan. He also faces a special circumstance allegation for allegedly killing the cab driver in the course of his duties.

The defendant faces life in prison without the possibility of parole if convicted.

A motive for the slaying was not clear, though prosecutors said the defendant was on probation for auto theft at the time of the killing.

The prosecution alleges that Hamrah gave Sissac a ride in the early morning hours and, at the end of the ride, Sissac shot Hamrah.

Hamrah was found dead in his cab, which crashed in the 3400 block of Main Street. Paramedics discovered a bullet wound in his upper body when they pulled him from the wreckage.

Sissac was arrested three days later.