show you personalized advertising. Yaser Abdel Said with his daughters, 18-year-old Amina and 17-year-old Sarah. <>stream Stephanie Pagones is a Digital Reporter for FOX Business and Fox News. The son of the man wanted in the 2008 honor killings of his teen daughters has pleaded guilty to helping his father evade capture for over 12 years, the acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Prerak Shah announced Tuesday. Amina and Sarah Said Murders: Where Is Yaser Abdel Said Now? The U.S. attorneys office said a maintenance worker at the Copper Canyon Apartments in Bedford saw Yaser Said on Aug. 14, 2017, inside a unit leased to his son. Todays announcement, Rodriguez noted, should draw increased attention to the case. Legal Statement. Thanks to the dogged work of the FBI and its law enforcement partners, however, Mr. Saids efforts were ultimately in vain, Prerak Shah said. Islams uncle, Yassein Abdulfatah Said (Yasers 59-year-old brother), was convicted in February of conspiring with Islam to conceal Yaser from arrest, among other They rented an apartment in Oklahoma under an assumed name because they feared Said, authorities have said. Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. But they returned to Lewisville on New Years Eve. Read the crime and public safety news your neighbors are talking about. Saids daughter Sarah who was shot nine times . At the time of the shooting, police noted that there had been domestic problems in the Said family. In August 2020, FBI agents began surveilling a home in Justin, which was purchased by Yassein's daughter, Dalal. in June. Dallas County Said was controlling and abusive, friends and relatives of the girls have said. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! All rights reserved, was found guilty in February by a federal jury in Fort Worth, Brother of Man Accused of Murdering Daughters Found Guilty of Conspiracy, Concealing, Mother of 2 Girls Killed in Honor Killing Speaks Out, pled guilty to the same charges and was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison, Yaser Said had been a fugitive from justice since New Year's Day 2008, when he allegedly murdered his teenage daughters, Amina and Sarah, where a maintenance worker spotted Yaser on Aug. 14, 2017, Son Gets 10 Years in Prison for Helping Dad Evade Arrest, Irving Man Pleads Guilty to Helping Dad Evade Arrest in Killings, Aerosmith Kicking Off Farewell Tour in September, 7 Bodies Found During Search for Missing Oklahoma Teens, One Dead, Standoff With Barricaded Person Ends in Kaufman County, This 28-Year-Old Ignored Warnings About Job-Hopping and Doubled Her Salary to $186K in 5 Years, Post-Military Life Can be Challenging for Texas Veterans and Their FamiliesThese Resources Can Help. He was finally arrested in August 2020 in Justin, about 35 miles (60 kilometers) northwest of Dallas. A week before the murders, Amina and Sarah fled Texas with their mother and two friends. Published: 22:15 BST, 2 August 2022 | Updated: 22:15 BST, 2 August 2022. She returned to The Morning News in 2021 as a reporter covering primarily Dallas County criminal courts. The Egyptian-born cab driver who lived with his family just north of Dallas, Texas, allegedly shot to death his daughters, 17-year-old Sarah and 18-year-old Amina, in his taxi after telling them they were going out to eat on New Years Day 14 years ago. Last year, two of Saids relatives, Islam and Yassein Said, were sentenced to long jail terms for allegedly assisting Yasers escapes. 157 0 obj The trial of the father who authorities believe to have murdered his teenage daughters in a 2008 'honor killing' began Tuesday after Monday's jury selection. HTQo0~_)Is4Mb- mB,{:0n^{R'?.yJ{k*vtR;t}mF:%(^A#+eE~A4Rl[ Yaser Said, who was placed on the FBI's Most Wanted List in 2014, is accused of gunning down his daughters, Sarah, 17, and Amina, 18, in a taxi cab near a Texas motel in 2008 and then fleeing prosecution. Im dying Im dying, the 17-year-old told dispatchers, WFAA, At the time, their deaths were described by surviving family members as ". The women had all fled from Said after he allegedly threatened to shoot Amina in the head when he found out about her boyfriend. Those charges were later dropped after the girls recanted their story because they said they didn't want to be forced to relocate. Islams uncle, Yassein Abdulfatah Said (Yasers 59-year-old brother), was convicted in February of conspiring with Islam to conceal Yaser from arrest, among other crimes. Yasseins sentencing is set for June 4 at 9 a.m. in Fort Worth. "No sentence can bring Sarah and Amina back, but we are hopeful that seeing justice served brings a measure of comfort to those who loved these two young souls.". Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. The sisters boyfriends also joined them. Notifications can be turned off anytime in the browser settings. Yaser Abdel Said, one of the FBI's Most Wanted Fugitives, has It is widely speculated Said committed the honor killing - a practice where individuals are murdered for bringing perceived shame on their family - after he discovered Amina had a non-Muslim boyfriend and because he thought they were becoming 'too American.'. Yaser Said had been on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted fugitive list since 2014. 205 0 obj The allegations were reported to the sheriffs office in Hill County, where the girls told a detective their father had been touching them inappropriately. Said allegedly took his two daughters for a ride in his taxi cab under the guise of taking them out for dinner on Jan. 1, 2008. Father goes on trial in Texas for 2008 'honor killings' of daughters Most of Saids writings ramble about politics in the U.S. and the United Arab Emirates. Each faces up to five years in prison if convicted. Thankfully, their day of reckoning has finally arrived., Brad Lollar, who is representing Yaser Said, said Saturday that a team at the Dallas County public defenders office would immediately start looking into the evidence in the case and would research their client to the point that theyll know more about the defendant than he knows about himself.. His brother, Yaser Abdel Said, is accused of shooting and killing 17-year-old Sarah Yaser Said and 18-year-old Amina Yaser Said on New Years Day 2008. Not quite two weeks after FBI agents searched the apartment, Customs and Border Patrol spotted Islam Said and another person in a car at the U.S.-Canadian border. We need to catch this individual and prevent him from harming anyone else., Latest Hate Crime Statistics Report Released. His capital murder trial is forthcoming. Yaser Said, 65, was found guilty of capital murder in the deaths of 18-year-old Amina Said and 17-year-old Sarah Said. A North Texas man who evaded law enforcement for 12 years after police said he killed his two teen daughters will stand trial in Dallas this week. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Editor's note: This article has been updated to reflect that Yaser Said was arrested in Justin in 2020. Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox. Yaser Said He reportedly carries a weapon with him at all times. Speaking with The Dallas Morning Newsafter the capture, Said's former wife and the mother of the girls, Patricia Owens, said she thought it was possible her girls had been killed over in an honor killing but that she ultimately did not know the motivation. Yaser Said, 65, faces a charge of capital murder and an automatic life sentence if convicted of killing 18-year-old Amina Said and 17-year-old Sarah Said on New Years Day 2008. In the years that followed the shooting, investigators followed tips around the globe, including to Yaser Saids native Egypt, Matt DeSarno, special agent in charge of the FBIs Dallas field office, said at a news conference Wednesday. Yaser Said was convicted of capital murder Tuesday in the 2008 fatal shootings of his two teenage daughters, 18-year-old Amina Said and 17-year-old Sarah Said. Yaser Abdel Said, 65, was accused of killing his teenage daughters in 2008 in what prosecutors have called an "honor killing." They both died of multiple gunshot wounds, the statement said.The girls bodies were discovered several hours later in the cab, which was abandoned outside a hotel in Irving.Before succumbing to her wounds, Sarah managed to make a chilling 911 call in which she was screaming and saying that her father shot her and her sister.Local media had reported that Said was not satisfied with his daughters American lifestyle and alleged that he was very controlling of what they did.The Associated Press reported that in an email sent on December 21, 2007, Amina told a teacher that she and her sister planned to run away. Trial begins for Texas taxicab driver accused in "honor killings" of He was arrested without incident. He was sentenced in a Fort Worth federal courtrooom on Friday. The look of love! In one jail letter to the judge dated July 23, 2021, Said said he was unhappy with the girls dating activity.. Yaser Abdel Said, wanted for the murder of his two teenage daughters in Texas, has been named to the Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list. Amina and Sarah were honor students and athletes at Lewisville High School. United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit 18-year-old Amina and 17-year-old Sarah Said. Catherine Marfin, Breaking News Reporter. Son of man arrested in 2008 'honor killings' sentenced to prison He is set to be sentenced on April 30 at 9 a.m. Islams uncle, Yassein Said, is set for trial on Feb. 1. I got my eye on you. Oh my God. The prosecution is not seeking death penalty against Yaser Abdel Said, 65, but he would automatically receive a life sentence if convicted. Islam Yaser-Abdel Said, 32, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to conceal a person from arrest, one count of concealing a person from arrest, and one count of conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding. At that point, the document says, authorities felt they had sufficient evidence that Yaser Said was living in the home. Yaser Said is accused of murdering his two teenage daughters, Sarah and Amina Said, in 2008. in Justin, Texas roughly 34 miles northwest of where his teenage daughters were found shot to death. "Yassein Said prioritized the comfort of his brother, an alleged murderer, over justice for his nieces, two innocent teenagers on the brink of adulthood," Shah said in a press release. Doggy day-care! Those and other details about what led to the capture of Said, whod been on the FBIs Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list since 2014, were released Friday by the U.S. attorneys office for the Northern District of Texas. pic.twitter.com/pWm9pI857D Dallas County DA (@Dallas_DA) August 9, 2022 According to prosecutors, Yaser was obsessive and abusive. Man evaded capture for 12 years, will stand trial in Dallas for slayings of his daughters, For years, friends say, slain sisters lived with their father's threats of violence and abuse, Yaser Said, accused of killing his two daughters in 2008, was nearly caught in 2017, authorities say, Irving man who helped fugitive father elude capture gets 10 years in prison, North Texan gets 12 years for helping brother avoid capture in 2008 killing of his teen daughters, Video offers glimpse into relationship slain Lewisville sisters had with father accused of killing them in taxi, Mayday: Texas school leaders sound alarm, ask for more state money for public education, Colin Allred to challenge Ted Cruz for Senate, sources say, Gov. x+ | ', Said's son, Islam (left) and his brother,Yassein (right). The Sarah Said called 911 the evening of Jan. 1, 2008, in her final moments. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Authorities suspect other people helped protect Yaser Said over the years, and a federal criminal complaint says Islam Said was in contact with two more of his fathers brothers. When the FBI was contacted, an agent was sent to that apartment, but Islam refused to allow the agent inside. Attention Texas homeowners: You may have thrown away big money if you discarded a certain envelope from the appraisal district, Jury deliberating in trial of aircraft trust company owner accused of registering planes used for drug smuggling, Increasing temps, higher humidity, and rain chances later this week, DFW weather: Warming temps and storm chances this week, Yaser Abdel Said was captured and arrested, How brother, son of man on FBI's Most Wanted List accused in 'honor killings' led agents to him, Friends, neighbors react after man on FBI Most Wanted list arrested for killing daughters. trial concluded Monday and trial proceedings were expected to get underway Tuesday. Said took his daughters for a taxi-ride on New Years Day 2008 under the pretext of taking them to get something to eat, according to an FBI statement issued at the time of his capture.He drove them to Irving, Texas, where he allegedly shot both girls inside the taxicab. 4:20-CR-292-1 Before The next day, agents executed a search warrant at the home in Justin. Jury selection for Yaser Abdel Saids trial concluded Monday and trial proceedings were expected to get underway Tuesday. Update: Yaser Abdel Said was arrested in Justin, Texas on August 26, 2020. Authorities got a search warrant several hours later, but no one was inside when they broke down the door about 1 a.m. She was 17 when Amina was born and 18 at Sarahs birth. Agents watching the home said they saw Yassein and Islam allegedly drive up to the home, deliver what appeared to be groceries inside and leave with bags of garbage on Aug. 25, 2020. No Thanks Said was arrested in 2020 after spending 12 years on the run for the New Years Day 2008 shootings of his daughters, Sarah, 17, and Amina, 18. They are both serving time in federal prison for harboring Said while he was a wanted fugitive, Said's abuse of his family extended back as far as 1998, when Owens and the girls signed an affidavit alleging he had sexually abused his daughters. t:\}-?..M70vl`Qs}7V3XZ18Z55 av Yaser Abdel Said has been convicted of Capital Murder in the deaths of his daughters, Sarah and Amina Said. i$d!sZI OK`mG)n I/I2IuKdY9:,^P G4P@, ZTJv&:W.EU@BJQC! The FBI also arrested Saids son, 32-year-old Islam Yaser-Abdel Said, and brother, 59-year-old Yassein Abdulfatah Said, on Wednesday in Euless and charged both with concealing a person from arrest. In documents unsealed by the Department of Justice, FBI agents began 24-hour surveillance on a home in Justin in August 2020 that was recently purchased in the name of Dalal Said, Yassein's daughter. The Texas man accused of murdering his teenage daughters as part of an alleged honor killing has been convicted. HSMo0+|l$'m6vV:?M8VZ#dG@Tq4 The son of Yaser, Islam Said, pled guilty to the same charges and was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. Sarah reportedly told a friend her father had gone as far as to hold a gun to her Amina's head while he threatened her. xVWDH9_o9m)U?7D&j+d,lA \CF8)X*W,7Ja| #IZ In August 2020, Yaser Abdel Said was captured and arrested for shooting and killing his two daughters, 18-year-old Amina and 17-year-old Sarah. He was captured by the FBI's Violent Crimes Task Force in August 2020, and is currently in state custody. RELATED: How brother, son of man on FBI's Most Wanted List accused in 'honor killings' led agents to him. We come at it from the assumption that he is innocent of the crime, Lollar said, noting that he hadnt seen much evidence against Said from the time of the shootings. There have been many reports that he is in the U.S., but we are not ruling out the possibility that he is abroad. Balli added that investigators are coordinating with law enforcement partners in Egypt and Canada along with U.S. law enforcement agencies. Even though Yaser Said was indicted on capital murder charges, prosecutors did not seek the death penalty. Since his capture, he has been held at Dallas County Jail - North Tower. [32] [33] His trial opened on August 2, 2022. [34] Crime News is your destination for true crime stories from around the world, breaking crime news, and information about Oxygen's original true crime shows and documentaries. One of the girls was able to make a 911 call and was heard screaming for help, saying she and her sister were being shot by their father. endstream He has worked in a number of other capacities for The News since 2007, and he was previously a copy editor at The Florida Times-Union in Jacksonville, Fla. He was found hiding out in Justin, Texas - barely 30 miles from the scene of the murder - where he had been being harbored by his son, Islam, who, at the time of the killings, was aged 19, and brotherYassein, who was approximately 45. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Though she accused her father in the call, she seemed to lose consciousness before dispatchers could determine her location or any other information. Jury selection for Yaser Abdel Saids trial concluded Monday and trial proceedings were expected to get underway Tuesday. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. Tom has covered breaking news for The Dallas Morning News since 2016. or redistributed. Krista Torralva first joined The Dallas Morning News as an intern on the business desk in 2013. That evening, after speaking to the maintenance worker, an FBI agent tried to interview Islam Said at the complex and asked to search the apartment, but he didnt cooperate, authorities said.