Murder of Shaima Alawadi

Shaima Alawadi was an Iraqi-born American housewife who was murdered in El Cajon, California on March 21, 2012.

Shaima Alawadi

Alawadi, a 32-year-old U.S. citizen who had emigrated from Iraq in the early 1990s, was found beaten to death in her home.[1] Alawadi's death was initially seen as a hate crime and that she was murdered for being a Muslim.[2] Alawadi's husband Kassim Alhimidi was eventually charged and convicted for her murder and sentenced to 26 years to life in prison.[3][4]

Background

Alawadi's family fled Iraq after Saddam Hussein's government suppressed Shiite uprisings, and settled in Detroit in 1993. They moved to San Diego in 1996.[5] Alawadi was a housewife who had five children and volunteered at the local mosque. Her husband and brothers worked for the United States Army training soldiers who were to be deployed to the Middle East.[6]

Death

On March 21, 2012, Alawadi was logged onto Yahoo! Messenger and corresponding with someone in Iraq when she was attacked at her home in El Cajon.[7] Alawadi's 17-year-old daughter Fatima found her unconscious, having been brutally beaten, on the floor of their dining room. Next to her was a note which read "Go back to your country, you terrorist;"[5][6] the sliding glass door was smashed. A similar note had allegedly been left a week earlier. Although police were not able to immediately determine whether or not the murder was a hate crime, the note led them to consider the possibility.[8] The cause of Alawadi's death was determined to be severe head trauma. Her family took her off life support on March 24, and her body was flown to Iraq for burial.[6]

Aftermath and investigation

Some activists and commentators compared the crime to the killing of Trayvon Martin that had taken place less than a month earlier. The hoodie that Martin was wearing was said to feed into racial profiling that led an armed civilian to shoot the unarmed teenager. Alawadi's hijab was similarly said to have marked her as Muslim to the person who murdered her.[8][9] The death was initially portrayed in the media as a hate crime due to the note left with the body, and thus an act of Islamophobia.[10]

As the investigation, in which the local police were assisted by the FBI, developed, records were accidentally released to the press which indicated that Alawadi was thinking of filing for divorce from her husband and moving. This and other family issues, including her daughter's refusal to proceed with an arranged marriage, led the police to consider the possibility that the murder was not a hate crime.[11] Due to this information, the death was described as a misogyny hate crime in Time.[12]

Kassim Alhimidi, the 48-year-old husband of Shaima Alawadi, was arrested on the evening of November 8, 2012 and charged in her death, according to San Diego County jail records.[13] Alhimidi was ordered held without bail, and pleaded not guilty to Alawadi's murder.[14] The trial was delayed until March 2014, while defense attorneys looked through evidence.[15] During the trial, the actions of their daughter Fatima, prior to the death of Alawadi, was a focus of some of the testimony.[16] In April 2014, Alhimidi was found guilty of murder,[3] and in June 2014, Alhimidi was sentenced to 26 years to life.[17]

References
  1. Warikoo, Niraj (March 25, 2012). "Muslim woman from Michigan beaten to death in California home". Detroit Free Press.
  2. Mary Slosson (March 31, 2012). "Iraqi-American murder highlights anti-Muslim hate crimes". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved January 18, 2013.
  3. Steve Fiorina (April 7, 2014). "Kassim Alhimidi found guilty in beating death of wife Shaima Alawadi". KGTV. San Diego. Archived from the original on January 2, 2015. Retrieved January 2, 2015.
    Danya Bacchus; Monica Garske (April 19, 2014). "Sister Opens Up on Shaima Alawadi's Murder". KNSD. San Diego. Retrieved January 2, 2015.
    Eva Knott (April 17, 2014). "Kassim Alhimidi deemed a murderer". San Diego Reader. Retrieved January 2, 2015.
  4. Kari Huus (November 9, 2012). "Police: Shaima Alawadi's death was domestic violence not hate crime, arrest husband". NBC News. Retrieved January 18, 2013.
  5. "Body of brutally beaten woman to be flown to Iraq". Associated Press. March 26, 2012.
  6. Spagat, Elliot (March 26, 2012). "Chief: No conclusions in Iraqi-American death case". Associated Press.
  7. Graham, Marty (April 17, 2014). "Who beat Shaima Alawadi to death?". San Diego Reader. Retrieved February 19, 2019.
  8. Tartar, Andre (March 25, 2012). "Tragic Beating Death of Shaima Alawadi Feeds into Trayvon Martin Race Debate". New York Magazine.
  9. Flock, Elizabeth (March 27, 2012). "Trayvon Martin case, Iraqi woman's death spark 'hoodies and hijab' rally". Washington Post.
  10. Carl W. Ernst (March 20, 2013). Islamophobia in America: The Anatomy of Intolerance. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 93. ISBN 978-1-137-29008-3.
    Reno, Jaime (April 1, 2012). "Shaima Alawadi's Brutal Murder Highlights Anti-Muslim Activity in San Diego". The Daily Beast. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
    Gupta, Arun (April 7, 2012). "Shaima Alawadi's murder: Hate crime or honor killing?". Salon. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
  11. Davis, Kristina (April 4, 2012). "Records hint Iraqi woman's death not a hate crime". San Diego Union-Tribune.
    Flaccus, Gillian; Watson, Julie (April 6, 2012). "Court Papers Shed New Light on Iraqi Beating Death". Associated Press.
    Sarah Grieco; Paul Krueger (April 6, 2012). "Police Records Suggest Death Isn't a Hate Crime". KNSD. San Diego. Retrieved January 2, 2015.
  12. Burleigh, Nina (April 10, 2012). "Shaima Alawadi's Murder: A Hate Crime Against Women?". Time. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
  13. Perry, Tony (November 9, 2012). "Husband of slain Iraqi immigrant arrested in El Cajon in her death". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 18, 2012.
  14. Crimesider Staff (November 14, 2012). "Shaima Alawadi Murder: Iraqi-American woman's husband pleads not guilty in her beating death". CBS News. Retrieved January 18, 2013.
  15. Stickney, R. (November 7, 2013). "No Blood Evidence in Shaima Alawadi Murder: Defense". KNSD. NBCUniversal Media, LLC. Retrieved November 8, 2013.
  16. Rory Devine; R. Stickney; Monica Garske (April 4, 2014). "Teen Angry Over Allegations in El Cajon Murder Trial". KNSD. San Diego. Archived from the original on January 2, 2015. Retrieved January 2, 2015.
    Dana Littlefield (April 4, 2014). "Teen's behavior a focus in father's murder trial". San Diego Union Tribune. Retrieved January 2, 2015.
    Marty Graham (April 4, 2014). "Daughter of Iraqi-American man cross-examined at California murder trial". Chicago Tribune. Reuters. Retrieved January 2, 2015.
  17. Dana Littlefield (June 23, 2014). "Alhimidi sentenced in wife's killing". San Diego Union Tribune. Retrieved January 2, 2015.
    Kelly Wheeler; Steve Fiorina (June 23, 2014). "Iraqi man gets 26-year sentence in wife's beating death". KGTV. San Diego. Archived from the original on January 2, 2015. Retrieved January 2, 2015.
    Marty Graham (June 23, 2014). "An Iraqi-American Who Staged His Wife's Murder As A Hate Crime Gets Life". Business Insider. Reuters. Retrieved January 2, 2015.
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