Iraqi Hate Crime Murder Probe Raises Questions About Daughter, Husband

[cali]

Source: ABC



By COLLEEN CURRY
April 5, 2012

Police investigating the murder of an Iraqi mother in southern California, initially thought to be a hate crime, have filed papers with a court that suggest the mother had a difficult relationship with her daughter and her husband.

The beating death last month of Shaima Alawadi, 32, of El Cajon, shook the Iraqi-American community when her family reported that a note was found next to Alawadi's body, reportedly saying "go back to your own country, you terrorist."

Alawadi's 17-year-old daughter, Fatima, told police that a similar note had been found a week prior to the murder, but the mother thought of it as a joke and threw it away. Court documents now show that the note was a copy of an original, and the earlier note has never been seen.

The family, including Fatima and Alawadi's husband, are now in Iraq, where they went for Alawadi's burial.

<snip>



Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/US/iraqi-hate-crime-murder-probe-raises-questions-daughter/story?id=16079093#.T35Dw9l9Z_b

[Schema Thing]

1. Like I couldn't see this coming from 2400 miles away.

[Ruby the Liberal]

2. Not surprised

I said on the original thread that something didn't seem "right" about this whole thing.

Glad to know that they are looking at all of the angles here.

[snagglepuss]

5. I too have had my suspicions from the getgo. Had the murder happened in a

street or other public area then I'd have a lot less suspicion but I just don't buy that someone targets a private citizen in her home after lobbing a stone with a note thru a window. Given the number of people who automatically assumed it was a hate crime just shows that someone may have planned the almost perfect murder.

[MADem]

6. Supposedly, the note was just "left by the body" according to the daughter.

The window got broken while that tire iron was being swung, I will wager--the glass flew outward onto the patio, not inward into the dining room.

Here's the search warrant--the cops had their number early on, it would seem: http://www.documentcloud.org/documents/331912-search-warrent-and-affidavit-in-shaima-alawadi.html

[janet118]

3. This sounded fishy from the start

They had only been there a couple of weeks when this happened. Family members are always the first suspects in a murder like this.

[MADem]

4. I'll bet the family is slow to come home, too...!

So much for justice for Shaima...wonder if the Iraqi government will refuse extradition?

I hate to say I predicted it, but that daughter's demeanor did not seem "right" to me:

According to court documents obtained by ABC News affiliate KGTV, the daughter received a text message while she was being interviewed by investigators that read "The detective will find out tell them cnt (can't) talk."

Fatima, who was reportedly the only one home with her mother when the attack happened, had a troubled relationship with her mother, the documents show. In November, police had contacted Alawadi after finding Fatima having sex with a 21-year-old man in a parked car. Alawadi had picked her daughter up from the scene, but Fatima then jumped out of her mother's car going 35 mph, the documents state.

Fatima was also distraught over her pending arranged marriage to a cousin, according to the documents.

[snagglepuss]

9. I too was struck by her demeanor. I remember saying there was no love

lost even though the daughter appeared to cry while talking to reporters but then i thought she was probably sedated. I certainly didn't think she was involved in the murder.

[MADem]

10. Pops isn't out of the woods, either.

He was looking at divorce papers. Ya gotta wonder, there.

I have no idea how old "Pa" is, but he looks quite long in the tooth--like Saddam during Gulf One. Not a spring chicken. He's on disability, I've read.

Poor Shaima was only 32--with a 17 year old daughter and five kids. No wonder she wanted a break. She was a child bride (and I doubt she was wooed--she was told, and that was that) who was raising children when she was still a child.

The daughter probably had a good look at "Ma's" life and said "I don't want a thing to do with that!"

[riderinthestorm]

7. Unfortunately too many people (DUers included) wanted this to be a religious hate crime

and were willing to overlook obvious signs that this anything but....

Here's another DU thread where the slaying is spawning stupid religious faux-outrage (and not enough critical thinking skills)....

Million hijabs shows solidarity for slain Muslim woman...http://www.democraticunderground.com/1002518823

[emilyg]

11. I thought it as the husband.

[caseymoz]

8. Can't say I saw this coming, but . . .

. . . in retrospect, it didn't fit. It was notable for being unique.

A murder of passion by a family member who then thinks they can cover it up with an implausible lie? Much more normal.

[JI7]

12. pretty sure husband and/or daughter are responsible for the killing

[Ruby the Liberal]

13. Another thought on this - does it make sense to release

this information now, while they are out of the country?

I get the whole 'free press' thing (and appreciate the quick followup to the murder), but timing seems a bit bad on this, no?

[JI7]

14. can we ask iraqi govt to do anything concerning arrest ?

[Ruby the Liberal]

15. I would be really surprised if they got involved.

Then again, if it was considered a illegitimate (for lack of a better term) honor killing, they may be safer here than there.

Just recalling the stoning of Iraqi teenagers for appearing too 'emo' (western) last month. NOT the government - civilians.

[MADem]

17. We've had an extradition agreement w/Iraq since the thirties.

It's still in force, despite all the changes in governments. Of course, governments can always refuse, if they wish, and get yelled at, but that's about all that happens.

Shaima's father, though, is a well-known shi'a cleric in Sadr City.

If Pops was the one who killed his divorce-seeking bride, I don't think the well-known cleric/father-in-law would be interested in keeping the murdering son-in-law around.

If the daughter (and we know how daughters don't count quite as much as sons) killed her mother, or had her boyfriend do the dirty work for her, she's hardly a prize for the cousin that they were planning to marry her off to, so I can't see them standing in the way of sending her back home to face justice--and she might prefer to scamper home; she knows nothing of Iraq having grown up in California (she was born in Michigan, but they moved to CA a few years later and she went to San Diego public schools), and I'll bet her language skills are 1st Generation/not-too-nuanced. Even if she speaks enough Arabic to get around, she's dealing with serious culture shock and a sharp abrogation of her freedom (no fiddling around with boyfriends in cars anywhere in Sadr City). It's just not the same.

I have no idea if the husband has any clout with al Malaki (who sent the plane to bring the body home--I kind of think that's because he knew the father of the deceased) but I get the impression that most of the clout is with Shaima's relatives, from what I've read/seen on TV.

Who knows--if the relatives of Shaima get "an idea in their heads," those family members might prefer to take their chances with the US justice system!

[mactime]

16. And water is wet

In one of the original posts about this incident I remember the outrage at how anyone dare suggest that this was not an evil white domestic terrorist that committed this murder.