Additional reporting by Sarah Headley

The man accused of shooting his estranged wife to death in May 2012 outside Mary Scroggs Elementary School pleaded guilty to discharging a firm arm on educational property Tuesday in Orange County Superior Court.

Ali Cherfaoui

Ali Cherfaoui

Ali Cherfaoui of Carrboro was apprehended near 15-501 and Raleigh Road (NC-54) after officers, based on 911 calls, suspected him of shooting Chahnaz Kebaier just after 2:00 p.m. outside the school. Kebaier’s friend, Emily Martine, was the first to run into the school asking for help, saying her friend was just shot in front of her.

Tuesday’s guilty plea adds 23 to 37 months in prison to his first guilty plea of  possession of a weapon on school property. He made that plea on September 2 when he was sentenced to 19 months in prison.

Cherfaoui’s guilty plea is part two of a four part plea series. He was also charged with one count of second-degree kidnapping and one count of first-degree murder. Cherfaoui will appear in court again on October 14.

Cherfaoui and Kebaier had two children together who both attended Mary Scroggs. A judge ruled shortly after the killing that the children would live with Kebaier’s parents in Tunisia on the African continent.