Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Daughter testified in murder case against her father today

Iraqi man is accused of killing his wife, who wanted a divorce

Kassim Irzoqi Alhimidi made an emotional outburst today when his 18-year-old daughter entered the courtroom to give testimony. The judge almost halted proceedings before defense attorney Richard Berkon could speak to his client.

Fatima told the court that she is the eldest of five children by 49-year-old Kassim and her 32-year-old mother Shaima Alawadi, and that she was the one who discovered her mother’s bloody body the morning of March 21, 2012.

Fatima said she was awakened that morning by a small noise, “I kinda heard like a squeal.” Fatima said it was short and fast, “I thought like my mom was cooking and she touched something hot.” Fatima went back to sleep, in her upstairs bedroom, and was next awakened by the sound of glass shattering. “It sounded like a glass breaking.” It was after 11 a.m. when Fatima finally got out of bed. “I was hungry, so I went downstairs to have some breakfast.”

Fatima found her mother on the kitchen floor, tangled in a chair and computer wires, in a pool of blood. “I was in shock.” She phoned 911.

A sliding glass door at the rear of the home was found shattered, and forensic experts were unable to determine if it had been broken from the outside or inside, according to testimony today.

Fatima said that neither of her parents worked, but if her father “got a phone call,” he would leave home with a certain box that was filled with dates (the fruit), which he sold on demand.

“Yes, my mom wanted a divorce from my dad,” the pretty young woman told prosecutor Kurt Mechals. “She told me.” Not long before her fatal beating, Shaima Alawadi drove to a courthouse and got the legal paperwork to begin dissolution proceedings, while her daughter waited in the car, Fatima said. Was her father aware of this? “Yes, she showed him the papers.”

Fatima said her mother was planning to go to Texas, to spend time with her brother there, but was beaten to death just days before she was set to leave.

A county medical examiner testified that Shaima Alawadi was killed by blunt force trauma of her head and face.

Fatima’s father said that he threw two items from his van as he drove around the same morning that his wife was killed, the daughter revealed today. Fatima said those things were “shoes” and a “metal thing.” Her father explained to Fatima and her eldest brother that he was fearful police might become suspicious of him.

El Cajon police detective Christopher Baldwin said the suspect later told them he threw a “hammer” from his red 1996 Nissan Quest mini-van.

Alhimidi was arrested in November 2012. He pleads not-guilty to first-degree murder through his private attorney Richard Berkon.

The preliminary hearing will continue tomorrow morning, July 25, 2013, before the Honorable Judge Lantz Lewis, in San Diego’s East County Superior Courthouse.

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2013/jul/25/50079/

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2013/jul/25/50081/

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all

Previous article

NORTH COUNTY’S BEST PERSONAL TRAINER: NICOLE HANSULT HELPING YOU FEEL STRONG, CONFIDENT, AND VIBRANT AT ANY AGE

Kassim Irzoqi Alhimidi made an emotional outburst today when his 18-year-old daughter entered the courtroom to give testimony. The judge almost halted proceedings before defense attorney Richard Berkon could speak to his client.

Fatima told the court that she is the eldest of five children by 49-year-old Kassim and her 32-year-old mother Shaima Alawadi, and that she was the one who discovered her mother’s bloody body the morning of March 21, 2012.

Fatima said she was awakened that morning by a small noise, “I kinda heard like a squeal.” Fatima said it was short and fast, “I thought like my mom was cooking and she touched something hot.” Fatima went back to sleep, in her upstairs bedroom, and was next awakened by the sound of glass shattering. “It sounded like a glass breaking.” It was after 11 a.m. when Fatima finally got out of bed. “I was hungry, so I went downstairs to have some breakfast.”

Fatima found her mother on the kitchen floor, tangled in a chair and computer wires, in a pool of blood. “I was in shock.” She phoned 911.

A sliding glass door at the rear of the home was found shattered, and forensic experts were unable to determine if it had been broken from the outside or inside, according to testimony today.

Fatima said that neither of her parents worked, but if her father “got a phone call,” he would leave home with a certain box that was filled with dates (the fruit), which he sold on demand.

“Yes, my mom wanted a divorce from my dad,” the pretty young woman told prosecutor Kurt Mechals. “She told me.” Not long before her fatal beating, Shaima Alawadi drove to a courthouse and got the legal paperwork to begin dissolution proceedings, while her daughter waited in the car, Fatima said. Was her father aware of this? “Yes, she showed him the papers.”

Fatima said her mother was planning to go to Texas, to spend time with her brother there, but was beaten to death just days before she was set to leave.

A county medical examiner testified that Shaima Alawadi was killed by blunt force trauma of her head and face.

Fatima’s father said that he threw two items from his van as he drove around the same morning that his wife was killed, the daughter revealed today. Fatima said those things were “shoes” and a “metal thing.” Her father explained to Fatima and her eldest brother that he was fearful police might become suspicious of him.

El Cajon police detective Christopher Baldwin said the suspect later told them he threw a “hammer” from his red 1996 Nissan Quest mini-van.

Alhimidi was arrested in November 2012. He pleads not-guilty to first-degree murder through his private attorney Richard Berkon.

The preliminary hearing will continue tomorrow morning, July 25, 2013, before the Honorable Judge Lantz Lewis, in San Diego’s East County Superior Courthouse.

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2013/jul/25/50079/

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2013/jul/25/50081/

Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Father of kidnapped Tijuana child says kidnapper is being protected by authorities

Next Article

Iraqi immigrant pleads not guilty to killing wife

Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader