The ex-boyfriend of slain Richardson, Texas teen Amina Said took the stand for the second day in his father’s capital murder trial on Wednesday in Dallas. Amina was found strangled to death in her Richardson home last May.
Her parents and three older brothers are accused of killing her in an honor killing because she became too Westernized.
Yaser Abdel Said and his daughter were also reportedly estranged at the time of her death after he allegedly abused her repeatedly and threatened to kill her if she didn’t return to Egypt with him.
On Wednesday, the ex-boyfriend of Said’s daughter Amina is expected to take the stand when testimony begins at 9 a.m. in a Dallas courtroom.
This is the second day of the trial for Yaser Abdel Said, who is accused of murdering his daughter Amina in what is known as an honor killing.
Honor killings are usually motivated by a belief that the victim has brought dishonor upon the family or community. In this case, prosecutors say that Said killed his daughter because he disapproved of her relationship with her ex-boyfriend.
If convicted, Said could face the death penalty. The judge presiding over the case allowed three new pieces of evidence to be admitted into court. One was an email from which it was argued that Amina had begged her father not to kill her and said she would never see her boyfriend again if he promised not to kill her.
Another piece of evidence was a video from February 6th, 2006 in which Said said my daughter is going against my values. And finally, there was some testimony about how difficult it would be for any father to hear such things about their daughter.
According to Amnesty International, nearly 5,000 women were murdered in so-called honor killings around the world last year. Many more have been victims of attempted murder.
Wednesday was the final day of testimony in the trial of Yaser Abdel Said, who is accused of murdering his daughter Amina and her best friend Sarah. The state rested its case after the ex-boyfriend of Amina took the stand.
He testified that he saw Yaser shoot both girls as they begged for their lives. The defense did not present any witnesses and said they will ask for a directed verdict of acquittal when closing arguments begin Thursday morning.
If the judge denies their request, they will give their closing arguments. The jury could begin deliberations as early as Thursday afternoon. The jury consists of eight women and four men.
Testimony began Tuesday with the Dallas County Medical Examiner’s Office taking the stand to describe how Amina died from gunshot wounds to her head, neck, chest and arm.
Defense attorneys have argued that since there were no other eyewitnesses besides Yaser himself, there is no way to tell what happened inside that house.
They also say there are holes in eyewitness testimony by police officers saying they had to go through window because the door was locked with blood smeared all over it.
Prosecutors maintain it was unlocked with one bullet casing on the floor near it but only had smears at entry point instead of fingerprints which could have been washed away during a possible cleanup before police arrived.
The jury in the murder trial of Yaser Abdel Said will begin deliberations today. Said is accused of killing his daughter, Amina, in what prosecutors say was an honor killing. The ex-boyfriend of Amina is expected to take the stand when testimony begins at 9 a.m.
Yaser Abdel Said is on trial for murder in Texas after being accused of killing his daughter, Amina, in an honor killing. The ex-boyfriend of Amina is expected to take the stand and testify against him today.
The jury will have to decide if they believe the prosecution’s case that this was an honor killing and that Yaser Abdel Said is guilty of murder. If found guilty, he could face life in prison or the death penalty.
The jury heard from more than 100 witnesses and viewed hundreds of photographs during the three week long trial. It will now be up to them to decide if there is enough evidence for Said to be convicted of murder in Dallas.
