Yaser Said: The defendant brought his kids out for dinner under the pretense of killing them
The Texas taxi driver is charged with murdering his two kids for being “too American.”
The trial of a Texas father accused of killing his two daughters in 2008 while on the FBI’s most wanted list and eluding capture for the subsequent 12 years began on Tuesday. Yaser Abdel Said, 65, is facing a capital murder trial and a life sentence without the possibility of parole if proven guilty.
Outside the Omni hotel in Irving, the remains of Amina, 18, and Sarah, 17, who had both been shot multiple times, were found inside their father’s taxi. Just before she died away, Sarah dialed 911 and told the operator, “My father shot me; help! I’m really, really dying!”
They were allegedly killed by Egyptian immigrant Said because they were “too American.” His wife, Patricia Owens, previously disclosed to Fox News that Said became enraged upon learning that his daughters were seeing non-Muslim men. He allegedly stated that he didn’t want to raise “whores as daughters,” according to Owens. She requested a divorce after her daughters were killed.
Said allegedly took the girls out on New Year’s Day under the premise of taking them to a nearby Lewisville, Texas restaurant, but instead drove them to Irving, Texas, where he is accused of killing them in his cab.
The prosecutor, Lauren Black, stated in court on Tuesday that “this case is about a man who is obsessed with possession and power.” According to Black, “He controlled what they did, who they talked to, who they could be friends with, and whether or not they were allowed to date.” And he had complete control over everything in his home.
Amina’s boyfriend stated in court that when she grudgingly went back to her house on New Year’s Eve after fleeing to Tulsa, Oklahoma, with her mother, sister, and their boyfriends, she “knew she was going to die.” According to reports, she said she would never see him again before she passed away. She returned home on January 1, 2008, and that evening she passed away.
The bodies of Amina and Sarah were found on January 1, 2008, inside their father’s taxi that was parked in front of an Irving hotel.
After their father held a gun to Amina’s head in 2007, the girls and their mother left their house before Christmas, according to the prosecution. Amina’s history teacher allegedly claimed that the 18-year-old had written to her in an email about her plans to leave her home, saying, “He will, without any drama or hesitation, kill us.” Until she had left home, she also requested that the teacher keep her plans a secret.
But, according to Black, Said convinced them to return home by pretending to have changed, in yet another incident of “control” and “manipulation” on his behalf. She stated that the night the sisters were shot, their father had intended to take only the two of them out to dinner. Black remarked, “These were two young, energetic young females.” “Regular young girls seeking a regular existence.”
After moving to Tulsa, Sarah and their mother, Patricia Owens, decided to spend New Year’s Eve back in their hometown. Amina came back with trepidation.
In a letter to the judge presiding over the case, Said voiced his anger with his children’s “dating activity,” but he denied killing his daughters. Defense lawyer Joseph Patton asserted in his opening statement that the evidence could not support a conviction, that Said, who was born in Egypt, had received undue police attention, and that anti-Muslim bias may have played a role in that focus.
“For the sake of their story and their goal, the government should neither generalize or criminalize an entire culture. Yaser is wanted by the authorities for being a Muslim in 2008 “Patton stated.
His defense claims that no one will admit to seeing Said at the crime site and that police should have inquired about Amina’s boyfriend or the mother of the girls. He stated: “Amina and Sarah were last seen by them while still alive. According to Amina’s boyfriend, Said and both girls were in his cab soon before the shooting, and he and his father briefly followed them out of concern.” Amina’s boyfriend, Edgar Ruiz, stated, “She didn’t look like she wanted to be there; her look was one of terror.”
After the murders, Said ran away and was found roughly 30 miles from the crime scene in 2020. His son Islam, who was 19 at the time, and his brother Yassein were both found accountable for sheltering a wanted felon. Islam was given a 10-year sentence, while Yassein was given a 12-year sentence.
After Said’s arrest, Owens told the Dallas Morning News, “My daughters were kind, caring, clever, loved everybody, and would help anybody.” They were two of the coolest kids in the world, and what happened to them was not fair.
It’s expected that more than 58 persons, including the girls’ mother, regional and federal detectives, and experts in Muslim culture, would be asked to testify. The judge also gave permission for the prosecution to tell the jury about allegations that Said had molested his own kids; those allegations were eventually dropped.
The death penalty is not an option in Said’s case. In the event that he were found guilty of capital murder, he would get a life sentence without the possibility of release.