A King County Superior Court judge sentenced 20-year-old Ne’iana Allen-Bailey to 20 years in prison Friday for the 2023 shooting death of Amare Geda, a veteran rideshare driver and father of two.
The sentence follows Allen-Bailey’s guilty plea to second-degree murder with a firearm. The court handed down a 15-year term for the murder charge supplemented by a mandatory five-year firearm enhancement.
The primary investigation revealed a chilling sequence of events on August 8, 2023. At approximately 3:30 a.m., Allen-Bailey—then 18—approached Geda’s Toyota Prius and shot the 52-year-old as he sat inside his vehicle. After the shooting, she pulled Geda from the car and fled in the stolen Prius, leaving him to die on the street.
In the days following the homicide, Allen-Bailey demonstrated a stark lack of remorse. According to court documents, she used the victim’s stolen vehicle to attend a hair appointment in Kent, visit family in Skyway, and purchase gasoline in Renton. Authorities eventually apprehended her in Seattle’s South Lake Union neighborhood.
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Further investigation linked Allen-Bailey to prior violent conduct. She admitted to investigators that just two weeks before Geda’s murder, she used the same firearm to assault a Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) employee. That encounter allegedly began when the employee attempted to film Allen-Bailey and her associates spray-painting graffiti in a tunnel.
Amare Geda was a pillar of the local immigrant and rideshare communities, working for both Uber and Lyft to support his wife and two children. During the sentencing hearing, Geda’s family delivered harrowing impact statements.
“Nothing prepares you for the shock, the confusion, and the pain of being told that the person you love is suddenly gone forever,” a family member read on behalf of Geda’s widow. “In that moment, my children and I lost the heart of our family.”
The Seattle Rideshare Drivers Association previously noted that Geda’s death sent shockwaves through the industry, highlighting the increasing dangers faced by gig-economy workers.
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While the defense argued for a shorter sentence—citing Allen-Bailey’s history of trauma, mental health struggles, and substance abuse—the court opted for the 20-year term.
In a statement to the court, Allen-Bailey expressed regret for her actions. “I know my apologies and remorse won’t make it better,” she said. “It’s unthinkable, unbearable, unbelievable [what] has happened. I’m sorry for my part in this traumatizing situation.”
The King County Prosecutor’s Office has not issued further comment regarding the finality of the sentencing.
