Current:Home > StocksAfghan refugee pleads no contest to 2 murders in case that shocked Albuquerque’s Muslim community-DB Wealth Institute B2 Expert Reviews
Afghan refugee pleads no contest to 2 murders in case that shocked Albuquerque’s Muslim community
View Date:2024-12-23 16:31:43
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — An Afghan refugee convicted of first-degree murder in one of three fatal shootings in 2022 that shook Albuquerque’s Muslim community pleaded no contest Tuesday to two homicide charges stemming from the other killings.
Prosecutors said Muhammad Syed, 53, entered the pleas to two counts of second-degree murder for the deaths of Muhammad Afzaal Hussain, 27, and Naeem Hussain.
A jury had convicted Syed in March in the shooting death of Aftab Hussein, 41, in July 2022.
The three ambush-style killings happened over the course of several days, leaving authorities scrambling to determine if race or religion might have been behind the shootings. Investigators soon shifted away from possible hate crimes to what prosecutors called the “willful and very deliberate” actions of another member of the Muslim community.
Syed, who settled in the U.S. with his family several years earlier, denied involvement in the killings after being stopped more than 100 miles (160 kilometers) from Albuquerque. He told authorities he was on his way to Texas to find a new home for his family, saying he was concerned about the killings in Albuquerque.
Bernalillo County prosecutors say Syed faces a life prison sentence in Aftab Hussein’s killings and will serve 30 years behind bars for the no-contest pleas. A sentencing date hasn’t been set.
Authorities said Afzaal Hussain, an urban planner, was gunned down Aug. 1, 2022, while taking his evening walk. Naeem Hussain was shot four days later as he sat in his vehicle outside a refugee resettlement agency on the city’s south side. Aftab Hussein was a student leader at the University of New Mexico who was active in politics and later worked for the city of Española.
After Syed’s conviction in March, prosecutors acknowledged that no testimony during the trial nor any court filings addressed a possible motive. Prosecutors had described him as having a violent history, but his public defenders argued that previous allegations of domestic violence never resulted in convictions.
veryGood! (829)
Related
- Horoscopes Today, November 12, 2024
- Two Americans detained in Venezuela ask Biden to secure release as deadline passes
- Ohio Republicans propose nixing home grow, increasing taxes in sweeping changes to legal marijuana
- North Carolina man misses jackpot by 1 number, then wins the whole shebang the next week
- West Virginia governor-elect Morrisey to be sworn in mid-January
- The U.S. supports China's growth if it 'plays by the rules,' commerce secretary says
- Trump seeks urgent review of gag order ruling in New York civil fraud case
- More than $980K raised for Palestinian student paralyzed after being shot in Vermont
- Texas’ 90,000 DACA recipients can sign up for Affordable Care Act coverage — for now
- US Navy plane removed from Hawaii bay after it overshot runway. Coral damage remains to be seen
Ranking
- What is ‘Doge’? Explaining the meme and cryptocurrency after Elon Musk's appointment to D.O.G.E.
- GM’s Cruise robotaxi service faces potential fine in alleged cover-up of San Francisco accident
- Idaho baby found dead a day after Amber Alert was issued, father in custody: Authorities
- Former U.S. ambassador Manuel Rocha arrested, accused of serving as agent of Cuba, sources say
- Driver dies after crashing on hurricane-damaged highway in North Carolina
- Former U.S. ambassador Manuel Rocha arrested, accused of serving as agent of Cuba, sources say
- Detroit-area performing arts center reopens after body is removed from vent system
- Handcuffed and sent to the ER – for misbehavior: Schools are sending more kids to the hospital
Recommendation
-
Pennsylvania House Republicans pick new floor leader after failing to regain majority
-
Jonathan Majors assault trial starts with competing versions of a backseat confrontation
-
Idaho baby found dead a day after Amber Alert was issued, father in custody: Authorities
-
Notre Dame trustees select Robert Dowd as university’s 18th president
-
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones responds to CeeDee Lamb's excuse about curtains at AT&T Stadium
-
Mental evaluation ordered for Idaho man charged with murder in shooting death of his pregnant wife
-
Lebanon’s Christians feel the heat of climate change in its sacred forest and valley
-
Trevor Lawrence leaves Jacksonville Jaguars' MNF game with ankle injury