They will be sequestered in a hotel if deliberations continue for more than a day. She said she urged Amina to return home on the day of the murders even though the teen said she feared for her life. Police have described the murders as "honor killings.". Yaser had plans for the girls to marry in an arranged marriage. The former wife of murder suspect Yaser Said testified on Thursday that she asked if she could go with him and their two daughters for dinner on the night of Jan. 1, 2008. . Thanks for contacting us. [ATTORNEY: "Ms. Owens this is a tough question. He also said evidence on Sarahs body indicated she was shot at very close range. He also told evidence on Sarahs body indicated she was shot at very close range. The mother must be charged with conspiracy to murder her daughters. A Texas man on trial for murdering his two daughters in honor killings because they were dating American boys was called the devil in court Thursday by the girls mother, who detailed 15 years of abuse during their marriage. Is that correct? The sisters had become "very scared for their lives," and the decision to leave was made after Said "put a gun to Amina's head and threatened to kill her," the prosecutor said. According to law enforcement, he shot the girls to. Yaser Said Takes Stand in Capital Murder Trial - NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth Cross examination is done with Patricia Owens (mom of Sarah and Amina) - who testified that when girls returned home days before their murders Yaser Said appeared happy; when Amina came back last he kissed her on the forehead and shed a tear. Her chilling 911 call was played before the jury on Wednesday where she was heard saying her father shot her and that she was dying. Long after the murder, Patricia continued to be haunted by the deaths of her daughters. Sarah's boyfriend testified about why she kept their relationship a secret. This is a case where there are no witnesses," Lollar said. An emotional Ms Owens said that Sarah and Amina told her back in 1998 that their father had sexually assaulted them. She was soft-spoken on the witness stand, but her message about how she felt about her ex-husband was loud and clear when referring to him as the "devil. Former Irving police officer Steven Hazard testified he believed the girls were not shot at the location they were found. The Texas father accused of fatally shooting his daughters in the back of his taxi in an honor killing allegedly sexually assaulted the two girls years priorand then threatened to kill their mother if they didnt recant their claims to police. 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Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. The girls and the friends agreed to allow Patricia to go along. Instead, prosecutors say, Said shot the girls multiple times in the cab he drove and left them for dead outside a hotel in suburban Irving. Said refused to look up as two medical examiners who conducted the victims autopsies took the stand and described photographs of each victims examination displayed in the courtroom. Trial of Texas man accused of murdering daughters in 'honor killings The film furthers speculation the girls' father objected to his daughters living an "American lifestyle.". What Watson saw in a cab caused him to call 911. [ATTORNEY: "Why would you go back?"] ", Patricia Owens, the mother of Sarah and Amina Said, takes the stand in the trial of Yaser Said. By the end of the day it was decided it would be best to go to Tulsa, Oklahoma, a bigger city close to a collage for Amina. Patricia Owens, the mother of Sarah and Amina Said, takes the stand in the trial of Yaser Said Owens came face-to-face with her ex-husband for the first time since prosecutors say he. Amina and Sarah said were both shot to death sitting in an orange jet taxi. she asked. After the verdict, Patricia Owens, Said's ex-wife and mother of the victims spoke directly to him in a victim impact statement. Said took the teens in the taxi cab to eat and talk, and refused to let her come along. Years later, on New Years Day in 2008, prosecutors allege that Said shot his daughters in an honor killing outside Dallas after learning they had begun dating and could no longer control them. The grisly execution came days after Owens and her daughters had escaped from Said, even successfully relocating to Oklahoma before returning to Texas after he reported them missing. My dad shot me! The abuse was permitted (or at least not stopped) by their American mother, Patricia. An Atlanta based band that was in North Texas for a show said their equipment was stolen from their hotel Friday night. In a Dallas County courtroom, Patricia Owens saw her former husband and the father of their children for the first time in 14 years. Owens, who visibly had trouble on the stand and has been diagnosed with PTSD and is on medication, said she met Said when she was 14 and he was 29. Yaser Said: Trial shares graphic details in teens' murder - WFAA Said's defense argued Owens' story had changed so much over the years that she was close to becoming a suspect herself and also claimed police were fixated on blaming a Muslim man for the killings instead of looking at other potential suspects. Patricia Owens was just 15 in 1987 when she met 30-year-old Egyptian . The mother of two girls who were allegedly killed by their father has told his murder trial that he molested the teenagers. @NBCDFWhttps://t.co/R77vHTz043 pic.twitter.com/5eP4TqCGdS. She testified Said was controlling and abusive throughout most of their relationship. Shes asking for help and she names her killer, her father, Yaser Said, Black said about Sarahs 911 call. Cross examination is done with Patricia Owens (mom of Sarah and Amina) - who testified that when girls returned home days before their murders Yaser Said appeared happy; when Amina came back last he kissed her on the forehead and shed a tear. Patricia Owens, the mother of 18-year-old Amina Said and 17-year-old Sarah Said, takes the stand on the third day of trial of her ex-husband Yaser Said at the Frank Crowley Courts Building in . They all headed for Kansas to Patricias aunts home. "I told them the car is yours. I'm dying, I'm dying!". FBI agent Daniel Gimenez, who led the federal governments effort to track down Said, took the stand Friday afternoon. Ms Owens testified that she had been aware that her daughters had boyfriends, but that the three of them had kept it quiet for fear of reprisals. Awful testimony in Yaser Said trial: Medical examiners explained autopsy pics; girls clothes. You are a prisoner and a murderer and the devil.. Clearly the proof is in the pudding and this is a double Honor Killing and the F.B.I. Former Irving police officer Steven Hazard testified he believed the girls were not shot at the location they were found. Said took the stand as the only defense witness Monday. 8 things to know about the trial for the man accused of killing Amina Texas 'Honor Killing' Dad Yaser Said Molested Girls Years Before Prosecutors did not pursue the death penalty, meaning Yaser Said receives an automatic life sentence. Said entered a not guilty plea Tuesday and faces an automatic life sentence if convicted. A film made about the murders, "The Price of Honor," alleged the girls were killed by their father as an "honor killing," a cultural practice where someone is killed after bringing shame on their family. He said he did not turn himself in to authorities because he feared he would not get a fair trial. The next day Patricia bought a new cell phone and now had a number Yaser didnt have, they rented an apartment and bought some furniture and the girls felt a little safer. She could have returned her daughters back to their father so the murders could take place as planned. I didnt ask my employees if they had seen him other than if theyd seen the driver from the cab," Watson said. The girls' aunt, Connie Moggio, broke down on the stand as she identified autopsy photos of her nieces. Shot at close range; muzzle touched Sarahs clothes.I see 6 holesME looking at Sarahs top (she was shot 9x) Amina shot 2x lost a lot of blood. Yaser Said, 65, is accused of fatally shooting Sarah and 18-year-old Amina on New Year's Day 2008 in Irving. Even then, Amina refused to go back to the house, fearful of the repercussions. Owens appearance marked the third day of testimony in the prosecutions presentation against Said, whom they allege was obsessed with possession and control. That control, Owens said, included choosing where the family would live and who they would communicate with. Yaser Said had been a fugitive from justice since New Year's Day 2008, when he allegedly murdered his teenage daughters, Amina and Sarah. Upon arrival Patricia tells her aunt the girls were going to run away with their friends and she couldnt let that happen, then Amina spoke up and said; "my mom said she always wanted to leave my dad so we let her come with us." "Something would happen to me or something would happen to her," Erik Panameno told jurors. Caught in 2020. https://t.co/R77vHTz043 pic.twitter.com/ApAbeA3VgF. "He will kill us," Amina wrote. In a Dallas County courtroom, Patricia Owens saw her former husband and the father of their children for the first time in 14 years. Prosecutors said Said was angry the girls were dating out of their culture and that they had recently ran away to be with their boyfriends. Caught in 2020. https://t.co/R77vHTz043 pic.twitter.com/ApAbeA3VgF. Their own father. The mother, Patricia Owens, who is divorced from Said, testified that he convinced her to return to Texas. By clicking Sign Up, I confirmthat I have read and agreeto the Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. The potential key piece of evidence was admitted on day two of testimony, despite objections by the defense who previously cautioned jurors their expert will later testify that the 17-year-old victim may have been hallucinating after being shot nine times when she named her father as her shooter. A short time later, the sisters were found shot to death in the cab in Irving. Now that Said has been apprehended, Patricia can finally find some semblance of peace for herself and her daughters. Said spent six years on the FBI's 10 Most Wanted List before he was arrested in August 2020. Saids abusive tendencies were evident early on when he sliced her leg open with a knife for refusing to have sex with him. You do whatever you want since you know how to drive. Whether the girls were victims of an honor killing for allegedly bringing dishonor to their family has been widely speculated by loved ones and media since their murder in 2008. The girls were brilliant young ladies dreaming of nothing more than to live their lives as Americans and become doctors. "Under no way, this is honor killing. The mothers sister and victim's aunt, Connie Moggio, told 65-year-old Said she hopes the remainder of his years in prison are filled with his worst nightmares. Before she died, Sarah was able to call 911 and told the operator, "Help, my dad shot me! During closing arguments Tuesday, the prosecution recapped the deaths of the two girls and the evidence against Said. The sisters were found shot to death in a taxi parked near a hotel in Irving on New Years Day in 2008. The state also called the lead Irving PD detective to the stand. In 1998, while living near Waco, Texas, Owens filed a report with the Hill County Sheriffs Office accusing Said of sexually abusing the two girls. While she dropped the Garland charges, Owens said that in October 1998 she applied for a protective order against Said on behalf of her girls. Before she died, Sarah was able to call 911 and told the operator, "Help, my dad shot me! Yaser Said is accused of shooting to death his two daughters on Jan. 1, 2008 . Said, an Egyptian immigrant, is accused of killing his daughters Amina, 18 and Sarah, 17, because they were "too American." His wife, Patricia Owens, previously told Fox News that Said had. Amina's boyfriend testified he and his father indeed saw Said and both girls in his cab shortly before the shooting and that they briefly followed them out of concern. The sisters had become "very scared for their lives," and the decision to leave was made after Said "put a gun to Amina's head and threatened to kill her," the prosecutor said. The last time she was him was the night Yaser Said. Both Sarah and Amina appeared at school with bruises, and at one point Amina even had a split lip. Patrica Owens, Yaser Said's ex-wife, testified before the jury Thursday morning and said why she fled her home with her daughters only to return days before they were killed. Owens has testified that Yaser Said had threatened Amina with a gun. The trial is expected to continue throughout the week. They moved to Oklahoma but later went back to Texas when Mr Said reported them as missing. Black said Sarah Said was shot nine times and Amina Said was shot twice. FBI had been in touch w/apt management bc Saids son lived there. The 65-year-old cab driver from Lewisville is accused of murdering his two teenage daughters in 2008. The state wants to convict Yaser for being Muslim in 2008.. Reports suggest that she's in Arlington, Texas, having resided in several places before - including Bedford and Lewisville. There's no such thing as an honor killing, you kill somebody there's no honor to it. On Thursday, Patricia Owens, the mother of Amina and Sarah Said, took the stand Thursday. We took him into custody without incident., Reports at 4, 5 @NBCDFW Day 4 of Yaser Said cap murder trial.This Bedford apt maintenance worker is who IDd Said in 2017. Yaser Said showed no emotion as cries for help played in court. Prosecutors say that Mr Said shot and killed his daughters on New Years Day in 2008. He said nothing would happen to him.. Amina Said was born March 2, 1989. Since then, the Said familys been through hell with Yaser murdering his daughters and fleeing. Amina and Sarah Said were murdered by their father Yaser Abdul Said an Egyptian immigrant on January 1st 2008. Jurors were told to pack a bag. Patricia Said now lives under her maiden name Patricia Owens. Patricia knew there was no way her daughters would return to Texas so she lied to Amina and Sarah telling them she wanted to put flowers on their grandmother grave and they would spent New Years Day at their Aunt Connies, the mothers sister. About a week before the sisters were killed, they and their mother fled their home in Lewisville to Oklahoma to get away from their dad, who worked as a taxi driver, Black said. The defense is also expected to try to discredit Sarah's chilling 911 call, played before the jury on Wednesday, where she said her father shot her. But long before 2008, Owens testified, she and her daughters were abused by Said. "Yes," Owens responded. "Theres almost 24 hours we dont know where that cab went," he said. She commented, Now the girls can rest in peace. "Her look was in fear, she didn't look like she wanted to be there," said Amina's boyfriend Edgar Ruiz. The killings took place just days after Ms Owens had taken her kids and left Mr Said. The potential key piece of evidence was admitted on day two of testimony, despite objections by the defense who previously cautioned jurors their expert will later testify that the 17-year-old victim may have been hallucinating after being shot nine times when she named her father as her shooter. Mr Said told Ms Owens to stay home while he went for a drive with the teens to talk.