Trial begins for father accused in 2008 'honor killings' of - AOL I am very happy now. The girls managed to run away of the home to their mothers job where the girls also had part time jobs. [ATTORNEY: "Ms. Owens this is a tough question. But, Black said, in another act of "control" and "manipulation" by Said, he told them he had changed and convinced them to return home. Amina knew what could happen to her."] They left all their phones behind so they couldn't be traced and finally left on December 25th after Yaser had left to go to work that night. Owens appearance marked the third day of testimony in the prosecutions presentation against Said, whom they allege was obsessed with possession and control. That control, Owens said, included choosing where the family would live and who they would communicate with. Owens told the jury that she was aware of. Patricia moved in with Saids brother after he fled upon killing Amina and Sarah. She testified she knew the girls were dating and that Said would have become enraged if he knew about it. 'Honor Killings' Trial: Investigators detail how they found Yaser Said She was soft-spoken on the witness stand, but her message about how she felt about her ex-husband was loud and clear when referring to him as the "devil.". If convicted, Said will face life in prison. She said she urged Amina to return home on the day of the murders even though the teen said she feared for her life. It wasnt until December 2007, however, when prosecutors allege Said put a gun to Aminas head and threatened to kill her, that the teenagers and their mother began to hatch their plan to escape shortly before Christmas. 'That devil there': Mother of Sarah, Amina Said testifies at ex-husband Yaser Said Found Guilty in Murders of Teen Daughters - NBC 5 Dallas His defence attorneys have claimed that he was blamed for the killings because hes Muslim. Sarah's boyfriend testified about why she kept their relationship a secret. Yaser Said is accused of shooting to death his two daughters on Jan. 1, 2008 . Before she died, Sarah was able to call 911 and told the operator, "Help, my dad shot me! The defense rested after the defendant's testimony. A film made about the murders, "The Price of Honor," alleged the girls were killed by their father as an "honor killing," a cultural practice where someone is killed after bringing shame on their family. By the end of the day it was decided it would be best to go to Tulsa, Oklahoma, a bigger city close to a collage for Amina. Shortly after, her daughters recanted their sexual abuse allegations to the police. 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, murdering his two daughters in honor killings, Pakistan arrests man in honor killing of teen daughter who rejected arranged marriage, Indian woman murdered, dumped in suitcase by parents for marrying a man from different caste, Honor killings trial starts for Texas father accused of gunning down daughters, Brother acquitted for honor killing of Pakistans Kim Kardashian. A week before they were killed, the girls and their mother fled their home in Lewisville and went to Oklahoma to escape Said. Yaser Said, who had been sought on a capital murder warrant since the slayings, was placed on the FBI's most-wanted list. A detective and construction worker were among the witnesses called in the trial of Yaser Said this Friday afternoon. Defense team member Baharan Muse pressed whether anyone said that Said was at the hotel that night. She said she urged Amina to return home on the day of the murders even though the teen said she feared for her life. 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Johnson testified that after the murders, Owens turned over a green ammo box she claimed belonged to Said. The next day Patricia bought a new cell phone and now had a number Yaser didnt have, they rented an apartment and bought some furniture and the girls felt a little safer. It was the happiest moment he is caught, and justice can be served for Amina and Sarah.. Liesbeth Powers/The Dallas Morning News via AP, Shafkat Anowar/The Dallas Morning News via AP. The evening the sisters were shot, their father wanted to take just the two of them to a restaurant, she said. Yaser Said Honor Killing Trial Over Murder of Sarah and Amina Underway @NBCDFW https://t.co/X5svQKi9it pic.twitter.com/ZmIM6Lof1n, Prosecutors asked Owens if she had any idea what might have happened to her daughters when they left to eat with their father and she said, Part of me did. In a Dallas County courtroom, Patricia Owens saw her former husband and the father of their children for the first time in 14 years. Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. The defense questioned why law enforcement didn't consider anyone else to be a suspect. Jurors heard the 911 call from a dying teenager killed alongside her sister in 2008. You do whatever you want since you know how to drive. And he controlled everything in his household, prosecutor Lauren Black said during opening statements on Tuesday. Ms Owens said he left messages claiming to have changed and that he would vacate the house they wanted him to. At the time, Amina would have been around 8 years old and Sarah would have been 7. WARNING: THE CONTENT OF THIS VIDEO MAY BE DISTURBING. My dad shot me! The next day the girls brother Islam Said, said to the media that Amina and Sarah got what they deserved because they knew the rules. The mother must be charged with conspiracy to murder her daughters. The evening the sisters were shot, their father wanted to take just the two of them to a restaurant, she said. Owens said that while she knew about her daughters boyfriends, the trio kept the information from her husband out of fear of his reaction. During opening statements Tuesday morning, prosecutor Lauren Black said Said was "obsessed with possession and control.". A part of me did, a part of me didn't. Chief Dallas County Public Defender Brad Lollar said the conviction will be appealed. He said he regrets leaving them alone and denied killing them. Ex-wife testifies Yaser Said threatened daughters with gun before - AOL 'The Hunt': Dying teen names dad as killer | CNN The state wants to convict Yaser for being Muslim in 2008," said Patton. Joe Hennig, referring to his original report, testified the girls mother and brother told him Said carried a gun in his cab. I was scared not to go back, she told jurors. Mother of 2 Girls Killed in Honor Killing Speaks Out In a letter written to the judge, Said wrote that he was not happy with his daughters dating activity but he denied killing them. Unfortunately unknown to Amina and Sarah and the boyfriends, their mother was talking to their father and planning on returning back to her husband. "Her look was in fear, she didn't look like she wanted to be there," said Amina's boyfriend Edgar Ruiz. Prosecutors continue trying to build their case against a father accused of murdering his teenage daughters. Said's defense argued Owens' story had changed so much over the years that she was close to becoming a suspect herself and also claimed police were fixated on blaming a Muslim man for the killings instead of looking at other potential suspects. She was soft-spoken on the witness stand, but her message about how she felt about her ex-husband was loud and clear when referring to him as the "devil. The sisters boyfriends also joined them. In the terrible case of honor killings, where Yaser Abdel Said shot his daughters Amina and Sarah, one role has remained murky throughout. In all fairness to her, shes commented that in her belief, Yaser would not abuse his daughters. Amina Said was born March 2, 1989. The film furthers speculation the girls' father objected to his daughters living an "American lifestyle.". Theres someone in the back as well.". She told jurors about a conversation she had with a frantic Amina the day of the murders. It took just 20 minutes in court for Yaser Said testifying in his own defense to tell his story claiming he was not with his daughters when they were murdered. The prosecutor said the sisters had become very scared for their lives, and decided to leave after their father put a gun to Aminas head and threatened to kill her.. Thanks for contacting us. She said that Said left messages that he had changed and that he would leave the house if they didnt want him there. A prosecutor picked at Said's story and asked why he was on the run for 12 years if he was not guilty despite seeing media reports that he was wanted. My dad shot me! "Initially, we were looking at the boyfriends originally, and then we focused on the defendant,"Retired detective RandallJohnson said. On Monday, Said told jurors that he did not kill his daughters. Im dying, Sarah said in the recording. After the 2008 killing, Patricia Owens, Yaser Said's former wife, told FBI agents that Yassein Said made statements to her indicating he had little remorse for the victims, but indicated. We took him into custody without incident., Reports at 4, 5 @NBCDFW Day 4 of Yaser Said cap murder trial.This Bedford apt maintenance worker is who IDd Said in 2017. In August 2020 Said was arrested in Justin and two relatives were arrested in Euless. The charges were ultimately dropped after the girls recanted out of fear of their father, she said. The girls' aunt, Connie Moggio, broke down on the stand as she identified autopsy photos of her nieces. Both are at home recovering. The mother added that part of her decision to bring the girls back to Dallas was so Amina could finish high school and not jeopardize her college scholarship. It is that of Patricia Said, the mother. Detective Kevin Hubbard, a dispatch supervisor, and the Irving Fire Department tried to get information from the unidentified caller but couldnt. Yaser Said, who had been sought on a capital murder warrant since the slayings, was placed on the FBI's most-wanted list. Ferez-vous la mme chose. @NBCDFWhttps://t.co/R77vHTz043 pic.twitter.com/5eP4TqCGdS. Said will be automatically sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Jurors also saw the orange taxi cab where she and her 18-year-old sister, Amina, were found shot to death. According to Patricia, she didnt marry Yaser out of love. Both men were charged with harboring a known fugitive and are now serving time in federal prison. Said took the teens in the taxi cab to eat and talk, and refused to let her come along. Dr. Brasheer Ahmed, with the Muslim Community Center in North Richland Hills, told NBC 5 in 2020, following Said's arrest, that murder was against Islamic principal. Silence filled Dallas County District Court 7 Wednesday as prosecutors prepared to present the chilling 911 call made by a dying Sarah Said on New Year 2008. This is murder. Years later, on New Years Day in 2008, prosecutors allege that Said shot his daughters in an honor killing outside Dallas after learning they had begun dating and could no longer control them. The grisly execution came days after Owens and her daughters had escaped from Said, even successfully relocating to Oklahoma before returning to Texas after he reported them missing. Patricia Owens holds up photos of her daughters 18-year-old Amina Said (center) and 17-year-old Sarah Said as she walks up to the stand to give a victim impact statement to Yaser Said after his . And he controlled everything in his household, prosecutor says, Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile, Mother of murdered girls calls ex-husband the devil in honor killings trial. Owens said the family moved to Bedford, and then to Lewisville in 2006. The potential key piece of evidence was admitted on day two of testimony, despite objections by the defense who previously cautioned jurors their expert will later testify that the 17-year-old victim may have been hallucinating after being shot nine times when she named her father as her shooter. He reported them missing the next day, forcing Ms Owens to call the Lewisville Police Department to say she was alive and well but that she was scared of Mr Said, The Daily Beast reported. The state also called the lead Irving PD detective to the stand. Amina suffered two gunshot wounds, including a fatal wound to the chest. Breaking down several. So, where is Patricia today? Their bodies were later discovered inside his cab, parked outside of an Omni hotel. Texas father accused of fatally shooting his daughters. They moved to Oklahoma but later went back to Texas when Mr Said reported them as missing. "I do not have first-hand knowledge of what an honor killing is. After learning about the allegations, Owens said that she went with the daughters to the Hill County Sheriffs Department to make a report before moving to another town to be near her sister. Amina suffered two gunshot wounds, including a fatal wound to the chest. Jurors heard a 911 call Sarah Said made by cellphone, telling the operator that her father had shot her and that she was dying. Owens said that on Christmas Day, after Said went to work, she and her daughters escaped to Oklahoma with their clothes in trash bags. The next day, however, Said reported them missing to the Lewisville Police Departmentforcing Owens to call an officer to insist she was alive and well but was fearful of her husband. An Atlanta based band that was in North Texas for a show said their equipment was stolen from their hotel Friday night.