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Yaser Said, a former Texan taxi driver, was convicted in August 2022, more than 14 years after he gunned down his teenage daughters, Amina and Sarah Said. On New Year's Day, 2008, Yaser murdered his daughters because both of them were dating American men.
Not long after the honor killings, he reportedly made it to the FBI’s Most Wanted List and was a fugitive for about 12 years before he was arrested at a house in Justin, Texas. Yaser denied any involvement in his daughters' killings during the capital murder trial, which took place two years after his arrest.
During the trial, Yaser's former wife, Patricia Owens, testified that he had been an abusive husband and father right from the beginning. She further revealed that she was aware of the girls' boyfriends and had feared that Yaser would kill the girls if he found out that they were engaged.
Yaser is now behind bars in the Dallas County Jail.
The story of Yaser Said and his daughters will be chronicled in the upcoming Devil in Suburbia episode, which is scheduled to air this Tuesday, August 30, 2022. Ahead of the episode, learn more about Said's 2022 trial for the capital murder of his two teen daughters.
"I did not kill my daughters": Back and forth in the Yaser Said case
Throughout the controversial capital murder trial, 65-year-old Yaser Said contested his role in the murders of his daughters in 2008. He refuted fatally shooting his daughters multiple times. While taking the stand in his own defense in court, Said reportedly stated:
"Definitely not, I did not kill my daughters."
The convicted murderer reportedly claimed that he feared he was being followed on the tragic night of the murders and believed that he was in imminent danger. He also stated that there was no chance the person following him would go after his daughters.
He claimed that he left his daughters alone in the taxi and left. He further stated that both the Said sisters were very much alive at the time.
Contrary to Yaser Said's testimony, an emergency 911 call recording from the night of the murders told the jury otherwise. The call was reportedly made by one of Yaser's daughters, Sarah Said, before she succumbed to the gunshot wounds. In the call, she said,
"My father shot me. I’m dying."
Amina Said suffered two gunshot wounds as opposed to her sister Sarah, who was shot nine times.
During the trial, the defense tried its best to discredit Sarah's statement on the emergency call. They cited her physical injuries and claimed that she could have been delusional as a result of being shot numerous times. However, none of those arguments eventually held ground.
Additionally, Yaser's ex-wife's testimony revealed that he had previously threatened and abused their daughters on multiple occasions and that they feared he would hurt them again. She also cited one particular occasion when Yaser had held one of his daughters at gun point.
The victims' family members also spoke out in court. The girls' great aunt, Gail Gattrell, reportedly asserted that Yaser Said committed the "honor killings" because of his archaic beliefs and expectations that his daughters should only date men from their religion. She stated that he murdered them because their questionable dating lives brought disgrace to their family name.
Moreover, Said's sister-in-law, Connie Moggio, addressed him in court, saying,
"There is no honor in killing two unarmed people. I call that being a coward. The only thing you did to your family was stain it with your family's blood. Now it is your turn to get what you gave, a prison you call home."
Yaser Said managed to evade custody for 12 years
In 2017, thanks to a tip from maintenance workers, authorities found Yaser Said after a 12-year-long manhunt. In August 2020, he was ultimately caught.
He was reportedly living in a home that his 32-year-old son Islam Yaser Abdel Said had leased. Yaser had initially fled with the assistance of his brother, Yassein Said, before being found at a house in Justin, north of Fort Worth.
Sources state that Yassein Said was convicted of "concealing a person from arrest and conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding." He received a twelve-year jail term in June 2021.
The same accusations were brought against Islam Yaser Abdel Said in June 2021 when he pleaded guilty and was given 10 years in prison.
Tune in to Devil in Suburbia on Investigation Discovery this Tuesday, August 30, 2022, at 9 pm ET to learn more about Yaser Said's 2022 trial in connection to the honor killing case of his daughters.
