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Yaser Abdel Said

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Yaser Abdel Said
Mugshot of Yaser
Mugshot of Yaser
FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitive
Charges
Reward$100,000
AliasYaser Abdel Fattah Mohammad Said, Yaser Abdel Saeed
Description
Born (1957-01-27) January 27, 1957 (age 67)
Sinai, Egypt
NationalityEgyptian/ American
GenderMale
Height6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight180 lb (82 kg)
OccupationTaxi driver
SpousePatricia Owens (1987–2009)
ChildrenAmina Said, Sarah Said, Islam Said
Status
AddedDecember 4, 2014
CaughtAugust 26, 2020
Number504
Captured

Yaser Abdel Said (Template:Lang-ar; born January 27, 1957) is an Egyptian-American accused murderer, and former taxi driver. For 12 years, Said evaded arrest for the January 1, 2008, fatal shootings of his two daughters, Amina (18) and Sarah (17). The shooting victims were found dead in his otherwise-abandoned taxi cab in Irving, Texas, on the property of the Omni Mandalay Hotel (now the Omni Las Colinas Hotel).[1][2]

Said disappeared after the killings and remained a fugitive from law enforcement for 12 years, with six of those years being on the FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives List for the fatal shootings. It is widely believed that Said killed his daughters as an honor killing.[3]

Said, who was very controlling over his family, felt that his daughters Amina and Sarah dishonored the family by refusing to adhere to his perceived standards of Islam and traditional Egyptian cultural behavior. On January 1, 2008, he lured them into his taxi cab on the pretense of taking them out to eat, and it is accused, fatally shot them in the cab.[4]

Said was captured on August 26, 2020, without incident in the town of Justin, Texas. His son Islam and brother Yassein were arrested in Euless, Texas for aiding a fugitive [5] The FBI said Said is in federal custody and will soon be transferred to Dallas County. The Northern District of Texas will be the jurisdiction in which Said will be tried for "Unlawful Flight to Avoid Prosecution." [6][7]

Background and family

Said was born in Sinai, Egypt. He came to the U.S. on a student visa in 1983. Said married Patricia "Tissie" Owens in February 1987 when he was 30 and she was 15.[8] Patricia later alleged that Said abused her during their marriage.[9] Amina was born in 1989, and Sarah was born in 1990.[10][11] The couple also had a son named Islam Said born in 1988, and Said also had a previous daughter, born in 1987, with another woman. Said later became a permanent resident, eventually gaining citizenship in 1997.[12][13]

Abuse of Amina and Sarah

The girls told family and friends that their father had physically and sexually abused them. Sarah wrote "he treats me like a whore" in an instant message conversation to a friend. On several occasions, Amina appeared at school with bruises, and had a split lip as well at one point. Amina told her friends that the wounds were inflicted by her father, and her mother did not allow her to seek medical attention.[14] Amina told authorities she had been penetrated at least once.[3]

Said would often spy on his daughters by video or audio-taping them without their knowledge.[15][16] Amina stated she was afraid of using the public telephone "because he [Said] gets in everywhere, he knows everything".[17][18] She also wrote in emails that her father intended to kill her.[4] When she was 16, Said took Amina to Egypt to allegedly arrange a marriage for her to a much older friend of his, but Amina rejected the marriage.

Sarah got an after-school job working in a convenience store. Said began video-taping her at work and punished her for smiling too much at the customers.[19]

Amina began dating a boy named Joseph Moreno whom she met while taking Taekwondo classes. When Said was out of the country, she felt anxious about meeting Moreno, imagining that Said would be watching her with binoculars.[15] Amina told Moreno not to call or text her if she sent a codeword to him because she was afraid that her father would go through her phone. Eventually, Said found a note that she had written to Moreno. Amina told him that these notes were to an imaginary boyfriend. Said, not trusting Amina, continued his search in order to uncover Amina's relationship.

Said moved his family 20 miles (32 km) to a new house in Lewisville, Texas,[15] prompting Amina to make plans to run away with Moreno, get married in Las Vegas, and start a new life. Moreno then dropped out of high school in order to earn money, so that he could save up enough money in order to help her leave. Moreno also stated: "[Said] regularly threatened to kill Amina, and she knew he meant it."[15] Amina was worried that Moreno would be killed by her father, and she refused to give her father his name while she was beaten, following Said's persistent accusations.

Murders of Amina and Sarah

After Christmas,[15] Amina and Sarah ran away with their mother Patricia to Tulsa, Oklahoma, where Amina's boyfriend had relatives. Patricia allegedly told her daughters that December 31 was her mother's death anniversary and that she wanted to drive to East Texas to put flowers on her grave, later telling them they would return to Said. Sarah reluctantly went, while Amina refused. Patricia drove to Amina's friend's house and pounded on the door, starting an argument with Amina to try and convince her to return to Said. Amina still refused to go. Patricia insisted and stood unmoved in the doorway, saying that her father had forgiven her and would like the girls to return home.

On January 1, 2008, Yaser Said took Amina and Sarah to his taxi cab, kissed them, and told them he was taking them out to eat. Patricia initially wanted to come along, but Said told her that he wanted to talk to the girls himself. He drove them both to Irving, where he allegedly shot both girls to death in the taxi cab. Amina died instantly, while Sarah managed to call 911 before she died, screaming "Help, my dad shot me! I'm dying, I'm dying!"[20]

Said's taxi was soon discovered by another cab driver outside the service entrance of the Omni Mandalay Hotel (now the Omni Las Colinas Hotel).[21][22]

Aftermath

After the murders, Said disappeared and although it was first assumed he'd flown to Egypt, no such record was ever found. Said evaded capture by law enforcement for 12 years and spent six years on the FBI's top 10 Most Wanted list. Alleged sightings of Said driving a taxi in New York City and in Newark, New Jersey prompted the FBI to issue a statement suggesting as much.[23][24][25] On December 4, 2014, Said was added to the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list with a $100,000 reward for any information leading to his arrest.[24]

Capture

On the afternoon of Wednesday, August 26, 2020, S.W.A.T. agents of the FBI's Dallas Field Office captured Yaser Said, age 63, in Justin, Texas. It was believed that a tip from a maintenance worker led to the capture of Said.[26] On same day in nearby Euless, Texas, the FBI also arrested Said's 32-year-old son, Islam Yaser-Abdel Said, and his 59-year-old brother, Yassein Abdulfatah Said.[27] Said's son and brother are both charged with concealing a person from arrest. If convicted, each faces up to five years in prison. Authorities suspect that other people helped Said evade arrest over the years, and a federal criminal complaint says Islam Said was in contact with two more of his father’s brothers.[28] Shortly after being captured by law enforcement, the FBI updated the "wanted" page for Said from "Wanted" to "Captured."[7] He was later booked into the Dallas County North Tower Detention Facility.[29]

In culture

The Price of Honor is a 2014 documentary about the murders of Sarah and Amina Said.[30][31]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Man accused of killing 2 teen daughters in 2008 has been captured, Irving police and FBI announce". Dallas News. August 27, 2020.
  2. ^ https://dfw.cbslocal.com/2020/08/28/maintenance-workers-tip-led-to-arrest-of-capital-murder-suspect-yaser-said/
  3. ^ a b "For years, friends say, slain sisters lived with their father's threats of violence and abuse". Dallas News. January 10, 2008.
  4. ^ a b "Lewisville cab driver sought for "honor killings" of daughters added to FBI's Ten Most Wanted list". The Dallas Morning News Crime Blog. Retrieved July 31, 2015.
  5. ^ "Yaser Said, Taxi Driver Accused of Killing His Teen Daughters in 2008, Caught in North Texas".
  6. ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mMJOFQrG2Q
  7. ^ a b "Yaser Abdel Said". Federal Bureau of Investigation.
  8. ^ Glenna Whitley (June 19, 2008). "American Girls". Dallas Observer. Retrieved July 31, 2015.
  9. ^ Perry Chiaramonte (March 26, 2015). "Texas 'honor killing' suspect Yaser Said could be hiding in plain sight as NYC cabbie, private investigator says". Fox News. Retrieved July 31, 2015.
  10. ^ ABC News. "'Honor Killing' Motive for Slain Sisters?". ABC News. Retrieved July 31, 2015.
  11. ^ "'My dad shot me!': Search exceeds 7 years for father suspected of killing daughters". New York's PIX11. July 10, 2015. Retrieved July 31, 2015.
  12. ^ https://www.dallasobserver.com/news/american-girls-6419640
  13. ^ https://www.dallasnews.com/news/crime/2008/01/10/for-years-friends-say-slain-sisters-lived-with-their-father-s-threats-of-violence-and-abuse/
  14. ^ "Articles: The Said Honor Murders: Indict the Mother". American Thinker. Retrieved July 31, 2015.
  15. ^ a b c d e Joseph Moreno (September 25, 2014). "My Teenage Sweetheart Was Killed to Preserve Her Family's 'Honour'". Business Insider.
  16. ^ Glenna Whitley (June 19, 2008). "American Girls". Dallas Observer. Retrieved July 31, 2015.
  17. ^ "The Price of Honor". Retrieved July 31, 2015.
  18. ^ Guy kills 2 daughters and flees the scene (Warning, Graphic!). YouTube. June 24, 2009. Retrieved July 31, 2015.
  19. ^ "Two girls murdered in Texas taxi: Were they honor killings?". Reuters. June 18, 2015.
  20. ^ Amina & Sarah Said 911 Call. YouTube. October 23, 2014. Retrieved July 31, 2015.
  21. ^ Disturbing 911 call- "I'm dying, I'm dying". YouTube. July 19, 2009. Retrieved July 31, 2015.
  22. ^ "Lewisville cabbie sought in daughters' deaths after bodies found in taxi". Dallas News. December 4, 2014.
  23. ^ "R/UnresolvedMysteries – Yaser Abdel Said Honour Killer at Large 2008 – Where is he?".
  24. ^ a b "FBI – Yaser Abdel Said". FBI. Retrieved July 31, 2015.
  25. ^ Honor Killer Yaser Abdel.
  26. ^ https://dfw.cbslocal.com/2020/08/28/maintenance-workers-tip-led-to-arrest-of-capital-murder-suspect-yaser-said/
  27. ^ https://www.dallasnews.com/news/crime/2020/08/28/yaser-said-accused-of-killing-his-two-daughters-in-2008-was-nearly-caught-in-2017-authorities-say/?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Dallas+County+s+uncounted+runoff+mail+ballots%2C+Yaser+Said+update%2C+more+COVID-19+cases%3A+Your+Friday+evening+roundup&utm_campaign=EveningRoundup_08282020&vgo_ee=4rxedA7ljcUnuDpXd%2B88kTpxdzkQNl9LgdxZ9pnzLRY%3D
  28. ^ https://www.dallasnews.com/news/crime/2020/08/28/yaser-said-accused-of-killing-his-two-daughters-in-2008-was-nearly-caught-in-2017-authorities-say/?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Dallas+County+s+uncounted+runoff+mail+ballots%2C+Yaser+Said+update%2C+more+COVID-19+cases%3A+Your+Friday+evening+roundup&utm_campaign=EveningRoundup_08282020&vgo_ee=4rxedA7ljcUnuDpXd%2B88kTpxdzkQNl9LgdxZ9pnzLRY%3D
  29. ^ https://www.dallascounty.org/jaillookup/record_detail_print.jsp
  30. ^ "The Price of Honor". September 7, 2014 – via IMDb.
  31. ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EV3DDwyLd5M

Further reading

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