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The attorney of one of the men accused of kidnapping a Clinton bank manager and her family testified Monday that emotional trauma his client suffered as a Virginia Tech student who witnessed the 2007 massacre made him abandon a promising career and return to Maryland in the middle of the night to plan an elaborate robbery attempt.

During the preliminary hearing, Prince George's County District Court Judge Hassan Ali El-Amin ruled there was enough evidence against the man, Yohannes T. Surafel, 24, of Washington, D.C., as well as his alleged accomplice, Yosef Tadele, 23, of Silver Spring, to sustain charges for their involvement in the Dec. 26 kidnapping.

According to Surafel's attorney, Richard Finci of Greenbelt, Surafel heard gunshots during the April 2007 Virginia Tech shootings in which 32 people lost their lives.

After graduating in 2008 with a degree in chemical engineering, Surafel took a promising job in Texas with the oil company Halliburton. However, Finci said, Surafel was haunted by memories of the massacre and "other issues" and decided to drive back to Maryland prior to the kidnapping.

Finci called Surafel's mental status into question during Monday's hearing and pointed out that shortly after his arrest, Surafel tried to hang himself in a jail cell at the College Park police barracks.

The chain of events began the night of Dec. 26, when two armed, masked men – later identified by police as Surafel and Beruke Aylaneh – approached SunTrust bank manager LaChrista Hamilton outside of her Briarcliff Drive home.

Hamilton, 39, was ordered into her home at gunpoint, where her husband, James Spruill, 40, and two sons, ages 8 and 11, had just moved weeks before. The men told the family members to lay on the floor of an unfurnished living room and proceeded to bind the hands of Spruill and Hamilton with cords, ordering the couple to separate bedrooms and the children to a third room for 12 hours.

The men told Hamilton that she would be assisting them in an armed robbery the following morning at the SunTrust in Silver Spring where Hamilton is employed, Maryland State Trooper Cpl. Rick Bachtell testified Monday.

At 7 a.m. on Dec. 27, the men ordered Spruill to drive the family to the bank. Surafel sat in the back seat with the two children, positioning the gun towards one of the children, while Ayalneh remained in the house, Bachtell said.

Tadele, who had dropped Surafel and Ayalneh off at the family's home the previous night, picked up Ayalneh, and the two men planned to meet Surafel at the bank, according to court documents.

Police issued a warrant for Ayalneh in December. Assistant State's Attorney Carol Coderre, who is prosecuting the case, said Monday that Ayalneh has fled the country and his whereabouts are currently unknown.

While en route to the bank, the vehicle Spruill was driving was pulled over on Interstate-495 near College Park. During the traffic stop, Spruill lunged into the backseat and yelled to the officer that Surafel had a gun, according to court documents. Surafel was arrested, and police seized a handgun, knife and cell phone.

Surafel is charged with four counts of first-degree assault, four charges of second-degree assault, two counts of kidnapping, two counts of kidnapping a child under 16, four counts of abduction at gunpoint, four charges of detainment, two charges of robbery and the use of a handgun. He will continue to be held at the Prince George's County Correctional Center in Upper Marlboro without bond.

Police were able to determine the cell phone had been stolen and belonged to Tadele's fiancé, Bachtell said, adding Tadele was brought in for questioning and arrested later that evening.

Tadele's two charges of kidnapping a child under 16 were dismissed Monday, and his bond status was reduced from no-bond to $250,000, after his attorney, Brian K. McDaniel, of Washington D.C., argued Tadele had no knowledge children were in the home. Tadele has a limited criminal history, consisting of a 2007 DUI, a misdemeanor charge for underage drinking and a pending narcotics charge in Montgomery County, McDaniel said.

Tadele still faces charges of attempted robbery, two charges of conspiracy to kidnap, and eight first- and second-degree conspiracy assault charges.

Pending bond, Tadele can await trial with his fiancé and two young children, barring contact with the Clinton family and travel abroad.

The next court date, which is set for Feb. 24, will determine if and when the trial can begin, Coderre said.