Shooting at New Mexico Conquistadors statue protest
A suspect has been arrested on suspicion of fatally shooting a man during a protest in Española, New Mexico, where authorities were planning to install a statue of Spanish conquistador Juan de Oñate, authorities said.
- Muhammad Saeed was found guilty of first-degree murder for the murder of Aftab Hussain on July 26, 2022.
- Saeed, an Afghan refugee, is said to have a violent history and faces two other murder charges.
- Prosecutors presented cell phone data and ballistics evidence linking Said to the crime.
An Afghan refugee was found guilty Monday of first-degree murder in one of three shootings that rocked Albuquerque’s Muslim community this summer.
Muhammad Saeed is facing life imprisonment for the murder of 41-year-old Aftab Hussain on July 26, 2022. He is scheduled to stand trial in the coming months for two other killings.
During the trial, prosecutors presented cell phone data showing that his cell phone was in the area when the shooting occurred, and ballistics experts said they had identified shell casings and projectiles recovered from the scene. testified that the shot was fired from a rifle that was found hidden under Saeed’s bed.
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The defense argued that prosecutors had no evidence that Syed was the person who pulled the trigger. Other people living in his home also had access to his cellphone, vehicle and rifle, police said.
Muhamed Said is taken into custody on March 18, 2024, at the Bernalillo County Courthouse in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Syed was found guilty Monday of first-degree murder in one of three shootings that rocked Albuquerque’s Muslim community in the summer of 2022. (Eddie Moore/Albuquerque Journal, via AP)
The defense called no witnesses. Said tearfully refused to testify in his own defense.
Prosecutors said Monday they were pleased jurors agreed the killing was intentional. But they cited possible motives in testimony during the week-long trial and in court filings, as well as details of communications Said may have had with Hussein before the killing. He admitted that he had not done so.
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Deputy District Attorney David Waymire said outside the courthouse: “We have not been able to uncover anything that would give us a motive to explain this.” “For all we know, this could be the case of a serial killer whose motives are known only to them and not something we can truly understand.”
Defense lawyers said the conviction would be appealed once the remaining two cases are completed. They also said the motive was still unknown.
The three ambush-style murders occurred over several days, and authorities are trying to determine whether race or religion may have been behind the crimes. It didn’t take long for the investigation to move from a possible hate crime to what prosecutors described to jurors as the “deliberate and highly intentional” actions of another member of the Muslim community.
Saeed, who speaks Pashto and required the assistance of an interpreter during his trial, had settled in the United States with his family several years before the killing. Prosecutors have explained in previous court hearings that he has a history of violence. His public defender argued that no previous domestic violence allegations resulted in a conviction.
Saeed also named Muhammad Afzaar Hussain, a 27-year-old urban planner who was shot dead on August 1, 2022, while on a night walk, and Naeem Hussain, who was shot dead four days later while sitting in his car. He is also charged with murdering Mr. Outside the refugee resettlement agency on the city’s south side.
Muhammad Afzal Hussain’s older brother, Muhammad Imtiaz Hussain, was present to hear the verdict on Monday. He has been following the case closely and, like others in the community, is troubled by the fact that there are still no answers as to why his brother and others were targeted.
Muhammad Afzaal Hussein, a student leader at the University of New Mexico, a politician and later a city official, had a bright future, his brother said. They had come to the United States from Pakistan in search of education and economic opportunity.
The life they had planned was just beginning to materialize when his brother was killed, he said.
“It was a huge loss,” he said.
Police also identified Saeed as a suspect in the 2021 murder of another Muslim man, but he has not been charged in that case.
Authorities have issued a public appeal for help following a third murder in the summer of 2022. Authorities shared photos of a vehicle believed to have been involved in the crime, which led to information leading to Saeed.
Syed denied involvement in the killing after being stopped more than 100 miles (160 kilometers) from Albuquerque. The suspect told authorities he was on his way to Texas to find a new home for his family and was concerned about the murders in Albuquerque.
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The judge prohibited prosecutors from directly introducing into evidence statements Saeed made to detectives during the interrogation. The defense argued that Syed’s rights were violated because the detective did not properly inform him, through an interpreter, of his right to a public defender.
During the trial, prosecutors outlined to jurors what happened the night of the first murder. Mr. Hussein had parked at his apartment complex around 10 p.m. and was just getting out of his car, his keys in hand, when gunshots rang out.
“He didn’t stand a chance,” prosecutor Jordan Machin said in closing arguments. Mr Machin said Mr Saeed lay waiting and he continued firing while Mr Hussain lay on the ground, he said.
Officers found Hussain with multiple wounds from his neck to his legs. Investigators testified that some of the high-caliber bullets penetrated his body and penetrated his car.
Prosecutors showed photos of Hussein’s car riddled with bullets and said the victim died almost instantly.
