‘No sentence can bring my husband back’: Seattle woman gets 20 years for killing rideshare driver

SEATTLE, Wash. - A packed courtroom sat in silence as a judge sentenced a young woman to 20 years in prison for killing a Seattle rideshare driver — a case that left two families grieving in very different ways.

Ne’lani Allen-Bailey, who was 18 at the time, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder with a firearm. On Friday, a judge sentenced her to 180 months, plus a 60-month firearm enhancement — a total of 20 years.

The backstory:

Amare Geda was shot and left for dead 30 minutes before his wife expected him home from his rideshare job on Aug. 8, 2023.

Afterwards, the teen stole Gedah’s car and used it for two days after stealing it.

Allen-Bailey threw out his belongings, including Geda’s cell phone, and went for a joyride visiting family, smoking weed and getting her hair done, with the gun used in the murder in the car the whole time. That was until she illegally parked Geda’s car in Seattle. She even pumped gas before she was arrested in South Lake Union.

Investigators say the 18-year-old also admitted to pulling a gun on a WSDOT employee, then beating them up just two weeks before the murder. Documents say Allen-Bailey threatened the employee for recording her and friends spray-painting a tunnel with graffiti.

Investigators say Allen-bailey said the gun in this incident was the same one in the murder of Geda.

What They Said:

Before the sentence, the courtroom heard from the victim’s family, who spoke about the man they lost.

"Nothing prepares you for the shock, the confusion and the pain of being told that the person you love is suddenly gone forever," a loved one read from his wife. "In that moment, my children and I lost the heart of our family."

She shared how their young children are still trying to process what happened.

"My son sometimes says that maybe his father is hiding somewhere and might come back," she wrote. "Hearing this breaks my heart."

She said her daughter has also struggled in heartbreaking ways.

"She once said that when she grows up, she wants to be an Uber driver so that someone might harm her and she can see her father again."

Family members and friends described the victim as a man who showed up for everyone.

"He was not just a name in a courtroom," Geda's sister-in-law, Sara Martin-Washo, said. "He was a son, a brother, a husband and a father and a pillar in our community."

Another family member told the court the loss goes far beyond one household.

"A man was taken, children were left fatherless. A wife was widowed, a community is devastatingly wounded."

The Sentencing

Prosecutors asked the judge for more than 23 years, pointing to what they say was a violent and avoidable crime.

They said Allen-Bailey approached the victim’s car, shot him and left him behind.

"This crime had a devastating impact," a prosecutor said.

But the defense asked for the lowest possible sentence, pointing to Allen-Bailey’s upbringing and struggles.

Family members described a young woman dealing with trauma, mental health challenges and substance abuse from a young age.

"I want to share with the court who she is beyond this moment," one relative said. "She’s always had a gentle spirit and a desire to connect with others."

Her attorneys said she is still young and capable of change.

"She is more than the worst moment of her life," one supporter told the court.

When it was her turn to speak, Allen-Bailey apologized.

"I’m sorry for my part in this traumatizing situation," Allen-Bailey said. "I will never forget this moment."

The Judge's Decision

The judge acknowledged both the pain of the victim’s family and the defendant’s past, calling it a difficult decision.

"How do I make due justice for the life lost? How do I do justice for a very traumatized young woman?" Judge Haydee Vargas said.

In the end, the judge said the loss of the victim weighed heavily and the sentence must protect the immunity while giving her a change at rehabilitation.

"We’ve lost a really great man," Judge Vargas said, describing him as someone who "worked hard to support his family" and was "simply sitting in his car."

Turning to Allen-Bailey, the judge said:

"Your actions, though, took away that from kids that deserve to have that their entire life."

Along with the 20-year prison sentence, Allen-Bailey will have to undergo mental health and substance abuse treatment after she is released and will be under supervision.

For the victim’s family, the sentence brings accountability — but not healing.

"No sentence can bring my husband back," Geda's wife said in a statement.

In addition to prison time, Allen-Bailey will serve three years of community custody after release and undergo mental health and substance abuse treatment. She will also be required to pay restitution to the Geda family.

MORE NEWS FROM FOX 13 SEATTLE

Man tries to push victim into train at Seattle light rail station: docs

All 4 Skagit County Superior Court judges are women, first time in WA history

WA sues betting company Kalshi for allowing illegal online gambling

3 killed in tourist helicopter crash off the coast of the Hawaiian island of Kauai

WA firefighters rescue goats from nearby burning barn in Cowlitz County

To get the best local news, weather and sports in Seattle for free, sign up for the daily FOX Seattle Newsletter.

Download the free FOX LOCAL app for mobile in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store for live Seattle news, top stories, weather updates and more local and national news.

Crime and Public SafetySeattleNews