He controlled what they did, who they talked to, who they could be friends with, if they and who they could date. The trial is expected to continue throughout the week. 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. "It is wrong for the government to generalize an entire culture, criminalize an entire culture, to fit their narrative, and to fit their objective. Around the time, Sarah Said called 911 twice, stressing she was dying after her father shot her. They will be sequestered in a hotel if deliberations continue for more than a day. 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. The charges were ultimately dropped after the girls recanted out of fear of their father, she said. All rights reserved, a Lewisville man accused offatally shooting, Mother of Two Teens Killed by Said Gives Impact Statement, Prosecution Gives Reaction to Guilty Verdict in Capital Murder Trial, Said Defense Attorney Gives Reaction to Verdict, told jurors that he did not kill his daughters, finally arrested in August 2020 in Justin, were subsequently convicted of helping him evade arrest, Trial of Yaser Said Accused of Killing His Daughters Enters Second Day, Jurors Hear Victim's Chilling 911 Call in Trial of Man Accused of Killing Daughters, Testimony Begins in Trial of Former Most-Wanted Fugitive Accused of Killing His Teen Daughters, Trial Begins for North Texas Man Accused of Killing His Teen Daughters, 14 Years Later, Jury Seated in Trial of Man Accused of Killing His Teen Daughters, Trial Begins for Lewisville Man Accused of Murdering His Daughters in an Honor Killing', In August 2020 Said was arrested in Justin, TikTokers Are Touting Beef Tallow Treatments for Clearer Skin, But You Don't Know What You're Getting,' Dermatologist Warns, This 28-Year-Old Ignored Warnings About Job-Hopping and Doubled Her Salary to $186K in 5 Years, Texas Man Kills 5 Neighbors After They Complained of Gunfire, Dallas Retailer Tuesday Morning is Going Out of Business; Liquidation Sales Coming Soon, Mark Cuban Says He's Losing Nearly 1,000 Twitter Followers a Dayand Paying $8 for a Blue Check Hasn't Helped, Post-Military Life Can be Challenging for Texas Veterans and Their FamiliesThese Resources Can Help, Yaser Abdel Said, 65, was accused of killing his teenage daughters in 2008 in what prosecutors have called an "honor killing.". About a week before the sisters were killed, they and their mother fled their home in Lewisville to Oklahoma to get away from their dad, who worked as a taxi driver, Black said. Were here to offer condolences, continued condolence to this family, but were also here to see that justice is done which it was, Creuzot said. They moved to Oklahoma but later went back to Texas when Mr Said reported them as missing. agreed at one point. Amina Said was born March 2, 1989. Both men were charged with harboring a known fugitive and are now serving time in federal prison. Jurors heard the 911 call from a dying teenager killed alongside her sister in 2008. Amina called and her mother asked her to come home, again Amina refused. The girls' two boyfriends went with them to Tulsa, where they got an apartment. The sisters had become "very scared for their lives," and the decision to leave was made after Said "put a gun to Amina's head and threatened to kill her," the prosecutor said. "I told them the car is yours. The killings took place just days after Ms Owens had taken her kids and left Mr Said. Day two of testimony ended with a former crime scene investigator who wheeled in a cart full of evidence including the bullet-riddled cab seats, shell casings and projectiles found throughout the car and photographs showing a shell casing found on Aminas shoulder. She said she urged Amina to return home on the day of the murders even though the teen said she feared for her life. Calling All True Crime Fans Yaser was on the run for so long, and its hard to wrap my brain around it. I could see a young lady who had her eyes fixed open and there was stuff coming out of her nose, said Watson. The evening the sisters were shot, their father wanted to take just the two of them to a restaurant, she said. [ATTORNEY: "Why would you go back?"] He said he assumed that he was the target and so he claimed he got out of the car at an Irving Transit Center where he assumed the girls would be safe. Patricia Owens, the mother of 18-year-old Amina Said and 17-year-old Sarah Said, points to her ex-husband Yaser Said on his third day of trial at the Frank Crowley Courts Building in Dallas on . Ms Owens testified that she had been aware that her daughters had boyfriends, but that the three of them had kept it quiet for fear of reprisals. Liesbeth Powers/The Dallas Morning News via AP, Shafkat Anowar/The Dallas Morning News via AP. Said will be automatically sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The girls' aunt, Connie Moggio, broke down on the stand as she identified autopsy photos of her nieces. You can try refreshing the page, and if you're still having problems, just try again later. On Thursday, the mother of Amina and Sarah Said took the stand. In August 2020 Said was arrested in Justin and two relatives were arrested in Euless. Said, 64, has pleaded not guilty to the capital murder charge for the crime that his lawyers have insisted was only pinned on him because he is Muslim. The film furthers speculation the girls' father objected to his daughters living an "American lifestyle.". Shes asking for help and she names her killer, her father, Yaser Said, Ms Black said. The girls, who were both students at Lewisville High School, were reportedly shot multiple times by their father. In moments of extreme trauma, like being shot multiple times, people can have hallucinations, Patton said. @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. Said disappeared and had not been seen for 12 years until his arrest in Justin by the FBI in August 2020. Patricia Owens, the mother of victims Amina Said and Sarah Said, told jurors her ex-husband was abusive and controlling. Prosecutors did not pursue the death penalty, meaning Yaser Said receives an automatic life sentence. They both were victims of their abusive father, Yaser, on several occasions. Patricia Owens, who is Yaser Said's former wife and the mother of the girls, told federal authorities that members of his family had indicated to her "little remorse for the victims," and. She commented, That was the day I lost my whole family and my life as I knew it was gone forever. Patricia Owens was just 15 in 1987 when she met 30-year-old Egyptian . Black said the sisters, both high school students in Lewisville, dreamed of becoming doctors, and that Yaser Said grew "angrier" as they grew up and became more educated and independent. Said, an Egyptian immigrant, is accused of killing his daughters Amina, 18 and Sarah, 17, because they were "too American." His wife, Patricia Owens, previously told Fox News that Said had. Thanks for contacting us. Her father, she said, had made our lives a nightmare.. Instead, prosecutors say, Said shot the girls multiple times in the cab he drove and left them for dead outside a hotel in suburban Irving. NBC 5s Maria Guerrero reports. It's a murder," Irving Police Detective Joe Henning said. The sisters were found shot to death in a taxi parked near a hotel in Irving on New Years Day in 2008. NBC 5s Maria Guerrero reports. Said took the teens in the taxi cab to eat and talk, and refused to let her come along. My dad shot me! Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Police allege these were honor killings committed by an abusive, controlling and possessive father who was angry his daughters dated outside their culture and had left home recently. Yaser Said is accused of shooting to death his two daughters on Jan. 1, 2008 . In December 2007, Mr Said put a gun to Aminas head and threatened to kill her, prompting the mother and daughters to plan an escape before Christmas that year. An emotional Ms Owens said that Sarah and Amina told her back in 1998 that their father had sexually assaulted them. The K9 was also shot once. I'm dying, I'm dying!". If convicted of capital murder, Said would automatically be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. You deserve a lot more than what the judge gave to you. "I was scared," Owens responded. During a conversation Patricia stated if she took her daughters back to Texas Yaser would definitely kill 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. Prosecutors continue trying to build their case against a father accused of murdering his teenage daughters. Im dying, yelled a frantic woman identified as Sarah. And he controlled everything in his household. "It is wrong for the government to generalize an entire culture, criminalize an entire culture, to fit their narrative, and to fit their objective. The death penalty is not an option in this case. WARNING: THE CONTENT OF THIS VIDEO MAY BE DISTURBING. She added that she and the kids left Said several times over the years, but always came back. "I dont know. Prosecutors presented an email Amina reportedly sent her Lewisville teacher days before her death, confiding that her father was arraigning her marriage so she and her sister were going to run away. Powered by WordPress.com VIP. But, Black said, in another act of "control" and "manipulation" by Said, he told them he had changed and convinced them to return home. 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. Awful testimony in Yaser Said trial: Medical examiners explained autopsy pics; girls clothes. He said nothing would happen to him, Ms Owens said, with Mr Said present in the courtroom. He controlled what they did, who they talked to, who they could be friends with, if theyand who theycould date. Owens said her ex-husband was abusive and controlling and would look over the girls' phone records and would call numbers to see if they belonged to a boy or a girl. More than 58 people are expected to be called to testify, including the girls' mother as well as local and federal investigators and experts on Muslim culture. The cause of death for both victims was listed as multiple gunshot wounds and homicide as the manner of death. Patricia Owens called her ex-husband, Yaser Said, 65, 'that devil' during the murder trial of their two teenage daughters on Thursday Said, who was once on the FBI's Most Wanted List, is. Prosecutors have said that he was obsessed with possession and control. Defense team member Baharan Muse pressed whether anyone said that Said was at the hotel that night. Patricia Owens, the mother of Amina and Sarah Said, took the stand Thursday. Said took the stand as the only defense witness Monday. "I told them the car is yours. Also called to the stand Thursday was the owner of the taxi cab. The defense rested after the defendant's testimony. Owens, who visibly had trouble on the stand and has been diagnosed with PTSD and is on medication, said she met Said when she was 14 and he was 29. The last time was fatal. After leaving for Garland, Texas, Owens said that she ultimately had to file another report with local police after Said and his brother repeatedly called her and threatened harm if she didnt obey them and return. And I feel the media was against me in a certain direction, that I would not get a fair trial," Said said. "They were the last people to see Amina and Sarah alive," he said. Earlier this week, prosecutors played a recording of a 911 call placed by Sarah after she had been shot, but was still alive. And I feel the media was against me in a certain direction, that I would not get a fair trial," Said said. I'm dying, I'm dying!". The former wife of Yaser Said, Patricia Owens, took the witness stand Thursday in his capital murder trial in Dallas. Owens said on the day her daughter returned Yaser appeared happy and he kissed her on the forehead and shed a tear. I am very happy now. The shocking accusation against Yaser Said came during testimony by his ex-wife, Patricia Owen, in Dallas County Court on Thursday during his capital murder trial. Amina was 18 years old and was shot two times and Sarah was 17 years old as was shot nine times. Ms Owens said during the third day of testimony in the trial that Mr Said would insist on deciding on where they would live and who they would speak to. She testified she knew the girls were dating and that Said would have become enraged if he knew about it. I left the car for them," he said. Hopefully, with Yaser facing the consequences of his actions, Patricia will be able to start moving on with her life. This story has been shared 685,769 times. 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. What Watson saw in a cab caused him to call 911. Ms Owens testified that she left Mr Said multiple times but that fear forced her back. Both men were charged with harboring a known fugitive and are now serving time in federal prison. Patricia Owens and 18 . "She didn't want to go back home, she would rather be dead than ever go back there," Moggio testified. Is that correct? The cause of death for both victims was listed as multiple gunshot wounds and homicide as the manner of death. 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. It's a murder," Irving Police Detective Joe Henning said. Owens, who visibly had trouble on the stand and has been diagnosed with PTSD and is on medication, said she met Said when she was 14 and he was 29. "And I was told that nobody had seen the cab driver.". On Friday, that phrase took center stage. Said spent six years on the FBI's 10 Most Wanted List before he was arrested in Justin in August 2020. Their bodies were later discovered inside his cab, parked outside of an Omni hotel. The defense is also expected to try to discredit Sarah's chilling 911 call, played before the jury on Wednesday, where she said her father shot her. "Because I believed behind this coverage there was a secret agenda. Owens said her ex-husband was abusive and controlling and would look over the girls' phone records and would call numbers to see if they belonged to a boy or a girl. Retired Irving Det. Prosecutors claim Said murdered the girls inside his cab in Irving because was upset that his children were dating. There's no such thing as an honor killing, you kill somebody there's no honor to it. Speaking through an interpreter in his native Arabic, Said testified someone else is responsible for the crime, but investigators never found that person because they only pursued him. Said was nowhere to be found. "They were the last people to see Amina and Sarah alive," he said. The relatives were identified by the Dallas FBI as Said's brother Yassein and his son Islam. Patricia Said now lives under her maiden name Patricia Owens. Said refused to look up as two medical examiners who conducted the victims autopsies took the stand and described photographs of each victims examination displayed in the courtroom. Owens claimed that she knew the girls had boyfriends and knew Said would be angry if he found out, adding that Said eventually found out about the girl's boyfriends and threatened one of the girls with a gun. Patricia moved in with Saids brother after he fled upon killing Amina and Sarah. During direct examination, Johnson testified that the make of some of the 9 mm bullets in the box matched some of the shell casings found at the murder scene. After six years, Yaser Said is still at large. This is murder. She said she married him at the age of 15, with the permission of her parents after dating for three weeks and had three children with him over the next three years. Former Irving police officer Steven Hazard testified he believed the girls were not shot at the location they were found. None of your employees?" When they were little, Amina and Sarah Said told their mother their dad abused them and they fledonly to return time and again to Yaser Saids control. This is murder. Saids three public defenders argue this was a botched police investigation fixated on a Muslim man in a post-9/11 world full of Islamophobia. I didnt ask my employees if they had seen him other than if theyd seen the driver from the cab," Watson said. He wanted me to go back to him and if I didnt go back to him, he threatened to kill me and my family, Ms Owens said, The Daily Beast reported. And this is not acceptable," Ahmed said. The father told the courtroom that he only wanted to take his two daughters to dinner on New Year's Day 2008 but on the road in his taxi, he said he saw someone following them. Part of me didnt" before saying, "I'm sorry.". Now prosecutors are picking at every issue in his story. Patricia Owens' face grew red and her lips pursed as she pointed to the man accused of killing her two daughters. She and the girls worked at Kroger, and her daughters started dating boys. Texas father accused of fatally shooting his daughters. She set off for Garland, Texas, saying that she filed a second police report after facing threats of harm from her then-husband and his brother if they didnt come back. As Owens testified, Said sat emotionlessly across the room. All rights reserved, 65-year-old cab driver from Lewisville is accused of murdering his two teenage daughters, Trial of Yaser Said Accused of Killing His Daughters Enters Second Day, Jurors Hear Victim's Chilling 911 Call in Trial of Man Accused of Killing Daughters, Testimony Begins in Trial of Former Most-Wanted Fugitive Accused of Killing His Teen Daughters, Trial Begins for North Texas Man Accused of Killing His Teen Daughters, 14 Years Later, Jury Seated in Trial of Man Accused of Killing His Teen Daughters, Trial Begins for Lewisville Man Accused of Murdering His Daughters in an Honor Killing', In August 2020 Said was arrested in Justin, TikTokers Are Touting Beef Tallow Treatments for Clearer Skin, But You Don't Know What You're Getting,' Dermatologist Warns, This 28-Year-Old Ignored Warnings About Job-Hopping and Doubled Her Salary to $186K in 5 Years, Texas Man Kills 5 Neighbors After They Complained of Gunfire, Dallas Retailer Tuesday Morning is Going Out of Business; Liquidation Sales Coming Soon, Mark Cuban Says He's Losing Nearly 1,000 Twitter Followers a Dayand Paying $8 for a Blue Check Hasn't Helped, Post-Military Life Can be Challenging for Texas Veterans and Their FamiliesThese Resources Can Help, Yaser Abdel Said, 65, is accused of killing his teenage daughters in 2008 in what prosecutors have called an "honor killing.". 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