Devil in Suburbia: Who killed Texan sisters Amina and Sarah Said?

Amina and Sarah Said
Amina and Sarah Said were reportedly gunned down by their father, Yaser Said, in 2008 (Image via IMDb)

On New Year's Day, 2008, a Texan man named Yaser Said reportedly shot his two teenage daughters, Amina and Sarah Said.

Yaser, now a convicted murderer, was identified as one of FBI’s most-wanted fugitives until 2020 when he was finally convicted for the murders. The father, who used to work as a cab driver, murdered his daughters in rage when he found out that the two had been dating.

Sarah and Amina Said were found dead in a taxi cab outside the Omni Hotel in Irving, Texas. Yaser evaded arrest for 12 years and at the age of 65 was convicted of capital murder in the honor killing case. He was sentenced to life in prison.

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ID's Devil in Suburbia is now all set to revisit the murder story in their latest episode, dropping this Tuesday, August 30, 2022, at 9 pm ET. The official synopsis of the episode, titled Under His Eyes, states:

"Amina and Sarah Said long to live the lives of typical American teenagers, but when they push back against the rules of their traditionalist father, tensions simmer inside the family and come to an explosive conclusion."

Trigger warning: This article contains information about graphic violence.


Amina and Sarah Said were shot multiple times by their father

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Patricia Owens, the mother of the Said sisters and Yaser Said's former wife, claimed that the last time she saw her husband was on New Year's Day, 2008. That same day, Said reportedly took their teenage daughters out for dinner. During the trial, prosecutors claimed that he took the girls to the parking lot of a hotel in Irving, Texas. Here, he shot the girls repeatedly and left them to die inside his cab.

As per the 911 call recording played by prosecutors in court, one of the daughters, Sarah Said, placed an emergency call before her death. On the call, she told operators that her father had shot her and her sister.

Yaser reportedly shot Sarah nine times and Amina twice. Following the incident, he went into hiding.


Yaser Said was an abusive father to Amina and Sarah Said

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Amina and Sarah Said were reportedly staying with their mother in their Lewisville, Texas, home at the time of the incident. In court, Yaser's former wife, Patricia Owens called him a "devil" and alleged that he had murdered Amina and Sarah for dating American boys. The mother also claimed in her testimony that she knew about the girls' dating lives.

Patricia Owens reportedly testified claiming that both she and her daughters had an abusive relationship with Said. She revealed that she had married him in 1987, but had left him numerous times throughout the years because of his controlling behavior.

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In 1998, while residing near Waco, Texas, Owens filed a report with the Hill County Sheriff's Office alleging Said of s*xually assaulting the two daughters. Resources state that she then took all three of her children, two daughters and a son, and left for several months.

In late 2007, Owens along with Amina and Sarah Said escaped to Tulsa, Oklahoma, fearing that their father would kill them if he discovered they were both committed to their boyfriends. Said had reportedly threatened Amina in the past with a pistol, according to Owens. They left for Texas in hopes of continuing their education and dependant on the agreement that Said would leave the family home.


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Yaser was pursued after the killings on a warrant for capital murder, and he was ultimately taken into custody in August 2020. His son Islam and Said's brother, Yassim, were later found guilty of aiding him in evading custody.

Catch the full murder case on Investigation Discovery's Devil in Suburbia this Tuesday, August 30, 2022.

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