Current:Home > NewsAfghan refugee pleads no contest to 2 murders in case that shocked Albuquerque’s Muslim community -Finovate
Afghan refugee pleads no contest to 2 murders in case that shocked Albuquerque’s Muslim community
View
Date:2025-04-14 17:49:17
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! (93615)
Related
- The Grammy nominee you need to hear: Esperanza Spalding
- To Equitably Confront Climate Change, Cities Need to Include Public Health Agencies in Planning Adaptations
- Early Amazon Prime Day Deal: Shop the Best On-Sale Yankee Candles With 41,300+ 5-Star Reviews
- NYC Mayor Eric Adams is telling stores to have customers remove their face masks
- Highlights from Trump’s interview with Time magazine
- Rihanna Steps Down as CEO of Savage X Fenty, Takes on New Role
- Taylor Swift Issues Plea to Fans Before Performing Dear John Ahead of Speak Now Re-Release
- California Attorney General Investigates the Oil and Gas Industry’s Role in Plastic Pollution, Subpoenas Exxon
- At site of suspected mass killings, Syrians recall horrors, hope for answers
- Warming Trends: A Potential Decline in Farmed Fish, Less Ice on Minnesota Lakes and a ‘Black Box’ for the Planet
Ranking
- Elon Musk's skyrocketing net worth: He's the first person with over $400 billion
- Adele Pauses Concert to Survey Audience on Titanic Sub After Tragedy at Sea
- Elevate Your Wardrobe With the Top 11 Trending Amazon Styles Right Now
- Doctors created a primary care clinic as their former hospital struggled
- A Mississippi company is sentenced for mislabeling cheap seafood as premium local fish
- Former Child Star Adam Rich’s Cause of Death Revealed
- Succession and The White Lotus Casts Reunite in Style
- Shein lawsuit accuses fast-fashion site of RICO violations
Recommendation
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow owns a $3 million Batmobile Tumbler
A multiverse of 'Everything Everywhere' props are auctioned, raising $555K for charity
Warming Trends: Cooling Off Urban Heat Islands, Surviving Climate Disasters and Tracking Where Your Social Media Comes From
Taylor Swift Issues Plea to Fans Before Performing Dear John Ahead of Speak Now Re-Release
McConnell absent from Senate on Thursday as he recovers from fall in Capitol
Warming Trends: Cacophonous Reefs, Vertical Gardens and an Advent Calendar Filled With Tiny Climate Protesters
At Haunted Mansion premiere, Disney characters replace stars amid actors strike
Timeline: Early Landmark Events in the Environmental Justice Movement