Nemadia Knuckles remains jailed after a preliminary hearing focused on video evidence and conflicting eyewitness accounts from an August house party.
FRESNO, Calif. — A 24-year-old woman accused of fatally shooting Marione Tsegay outside a central Fresno house party has been ordered to stand trial on a murder charge after prosecutors presented video from a Tesla and testimony from several people who were at the gathering.
Nemadia Knuckles is charged in the Aug. 8 death of Tsegay, 26. Knuckles has pleaded not guilty. The judge’s ruling followed a preliminary hearing in which prosecutors sought to show there was sufficient evidence for the criminal case to move forward. Knuckles remains in the Fresno County Jail and is scheduled to return to court Oct. 30.
Prosecutors relied in part on video recorded by a Tesla near the scene. They said the footage shows Knuckles pull out a handgun and shoot Tsegay. Prosecutors also said the recording appears to show Knuckles aim the weapon at another woman before leaving. The video became important because several witnesses who testified about the shooting did not say they actually saw Knuckles fire the shot.
The first three witnesses called at the hearing testified that they heard a gunshot and then saw Tsegay fall. None of those witnesses identified Knuckles as the shooter based on what they saw at the moment the gun was fired. One witness, identified in court as Jayden, answered “No” when asked whether he saw Knuckles when he heard the shot and saw Tsegay fall.
Another witness, Kobi Magee, gave testimony about the moments leading up to the shooting. Magee said she knew Knuckles because the two had previously dated the same man. She testified that Knuckles had not been invited to the party and described her behavior after arriving as hostile. Magee said she did not have prior animosity toward Knuckles.
Witnesses testified that Tsegay approached Knuckles and asked whether she wanted to fight. Magee said the women stood face-to-face for several seconds before Knuckles began backing away. Asked in court what Knuckles was doing while moving backward, Magee said she was “Reaching for a gun.” Her account provided prosecutors with testimony about the confrontation immediately before the shot was fired.
The shooting was reported shortly before 9:30 p.m. in the area of Fruit and Shields avenues. Police said investigators determined that Tsegay and Knuckles had been involved in an argument at the house party before the shooting. Friends began driving Tsegay toward a hospital and encountered Fresno Fire Department personnel near Palm and Clinton avenues. Emergency medical personnel then took her to Community Regional Medical Center, where she died.
Police arrested Knuckles later that night. She was subsequently charged with murder and a firearm sentencing enhancement. Prosecutors say the enhancement could add 25 years to life to a sentence if Knuckles is convicted and the enhancement is found true. Knuckles entered a not-guilty plea in Fresno County Superior Court in September and has remained in custody while the case proceeds.
Tsegay was a 2023 Fresno State graduate who earned a degree in kinesiology and worked as a physical therapy aide at Fresno Heart and Surgical Hospital. Her death became a homicide investigation after police said evidence pointed to the dispute at the party and led detectives to identify Knuckles as the suspect.
The order to stand trial moves the murder prosecution beyond its preliminary stage but does not resolve the charge against Knuckles. She remains accused and has pleaded not guilty. Her next reported court appearance is set for Oct. 30 as the Fresno County Superior Court case continues.
Author note: Last updated October 17, 2026.