April 19, 2014 (El Cajon ) – After a day and a half of deliberations, an El Cajon jury on Thursday found Iraqi immigrant Kassim Alhimidi guilty of first-degree murder in the death of his wife, Shaima Alawadi.
After the verdict was read, Alhimidi prayed and spoke in Arabic, professing, “I attest to God that I am not the killer. I’m innocent,” ECM news partner 10 News reports.
Family members showed outbursts of emotion, divided in their reactions. The couple’s oldest son, Mohammed, rose and shouted profanities, exclaiming, “My dad is innocent, he was tried unfairly,” before being restrained and escorted out of the courtroom. But Mohammed’s brother, Ali, reportedly said he supports the verdict.
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April 16, 2014 (El Cajon)—Yesterday the prosecution rested its case in the trial of Kassim Alhimidi, an Iraqi immigrant who is accused of murdering his wife, Shaima Alawadi. Alhimidi’s fate now rests in the hands of a jury at the courthouse in El Cajon.
The killer repeatedly struck Alawadi in the head from behind while she was sitting at a computer in her El Cajon home in March 2012. Police believe the murderer was someone the victim knew and trusted, since she was not wearing her hijab, a traditional head scarf, during the attack.
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April 14, 2014 (San Diego's East County) - On April14, evidence was completed in the murder trial of Kassim Alhimidi. Jury instructions were scheduled by Judge William McGrath for 2:30 p.m, and closing arguments will begin April 15 at 9 a.m.
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Daughter told friend she saw a "white guy" fleeing murder scene
By Robert Clark
April 13, 2014 (El Cajon)--The trial of Kassim Alhimidi for the murder of his wife, Shaima Alawadi, in El Cajon District Court is winding down. According to Judge William McGrath, the case could go to the jury as early perhaps as April 15, following completion of presentation of evidence, his jury instructions, and closing arguments.
The prosecution rested at 10:06 a.m. on April 11, having presented 108 exhibits into evidence. The defense called four witnesses before court adjourned about 2:30 p.m.
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April 6, 2014 (El Cajon)--The body of Shaima Alawadi, 32, was found by her daughter Fatima (then 17) on March 21, 2012. She told El Cajon police that she was asleep upstairs, heard her mother "squeal," followed by the sound of broken glass. She thought perhaps her mother had dropped a plate, and waited about ten minutes before going downstairs.
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April 6, 2014 (El Cajon)--The recent spate of earthquakes in our area may have been triggered by an explosion at El Cajon Superior Court on March 25, when the prosecution's case against Kassim Alhimidi blew up during a hearing concerning pre-trial motions. The trial began April 1, and testimony has strongly confirmed an opinion I formed some time ago that the evidence against Alhimidi is so shaky an immediate acquittal would be in order.
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March 26, 2014 (El Cajon )—In a pretrial motion hearing yesterday, El Cajon police Detective Darren Forster testified that he doctored a photograph to convince Kassim Alhimidi to admit that he was near his home when his wife, Shaima Alawadi, was brutally murdered. Police admitted that they drove the suspect’s red van to the scene and staged a photo, altering the date stamp.
Alhimidi initially denied being near the scene but later said he was in the area when shown the “evidence,” ECM news partner 10 News reports. He continues to deny killing his wife and reportedly wept in court after learning he had been arrested based on falsified evidence.
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November 9, 2012 (El Cajon)—Shaima Alawadi died a violent death in her El Cajon home, suffering multiple skull fractures. A note found next to her body told her to “go home” to her native Iraq, sparking fears in the community that the young Muslim mother of five may have been the victim of a hate crime.
But today, El Cajon Police Chief Jim Redman announced that the victim’s husband, Kassim Alhimidi, has been arrested and charged with her murder.
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March 25, 2012 (El Cajon ) – The body of Shaima Alawadi, the 32-year-old Iraqi mother of five who died following a brutal attack in El Cajon last week, will be flown to Iraq for burial.The Detroit Free Press reports that her father, Sayed Nabeel Alawadi, a Shia cleric, confirmed that the Iraqi government will pay for the shipping expense.
Her murder has sparked outrage around the globe--and a show of solidarity among students in distant places.
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Update March 25, 2012: Outrage over Alawadi's brutal murder has spread around the world. Now a Facebook page called One Million Hijabs for Shaima Alawadi has been launched, featuring a photo of college students wearing hijabs in a show of solidarity with the El Cajon murder victim:
March 24, 2012 (El Cajon ) – Shaima Alawadi, 32, mother of five children, has died of injuries sustained Wednesday when she was found savagely beaten in her home.
ECM news partner 10 Newsconfirms that Alawadi was taken off life support this afternoon. The death is being investigated as a murder--and a family member believes the killing was a hate crime.
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March 21, 2012 (El Cajon) – A 17-year-old found her mother, Shaima Alawadi, unconscious in the dining room of her home at 565 Skyview at 11:15 morning. “Alawadi was transported to a local trauma center, where she is not expected to survive her injuries,” said Lt. Mark Coit with the El Cajon Police, who have assigned homicide investigators to the case.
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By Miriam Raftery
By Miriam Raftery
March 21, 2012 (El Cajon) – A 17-year-old found her mother, Shaima Alawadi, unconscious in the dining room of her home at 565 Skyview at 11:15 morning. “Alawadi was transported to a local trauma center, where she is not expected to survive her injuries,” said Lt. Mark Coit with the El Cajon Police, who have assigned homicide investigators to the case.
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