Investigators in Uptown Houston recently confirmed that an Iranian Christian woman was shot to death by Jordanian Muslim parents in 2012 after they concluded that she had played a pivotal role in making their daughter denounce Islam. Gelareh Bagherzadeh, 30, was gunned down outside her parents’ home at The Galleria.
Ali Irsan, 57, has been charged with capital murder while his spouse, Shmou Ali Alrawabdeh, and 21-year-old son Nasim have been charged with murder. Bagherzadeh is believed to have been best friends with Irsan’s daughter Nesreen and Irsan made no delay in blaming Bagherzadeh the moment Nesreen left home to marry a Christian man named Coty Beavers, said investigators.
“Nesreen Irsan would not succumb to her father's complete domination and rule of her. And she left his home without his permission and went into hiding,” said Harris County District Attorney Devon Anderson.
Irsan has also been accused of killing Beavers, 10 months after Bagherzadeh’s death. Beavers was the twin brother of Bagherzadeh’s boyfriend.
“These two murders are linked by the belief on the defendant's part that his honor as a father and a Muslim has been violated by his daughter, who defied his rule and married a Christian man,” said Anderson.
Irsan’s other daughter Nadia has been charged with stalking Nesreen in an attempt to find out where her sister and brother-in-law were living after marriage.
The media had first reported about Irsan in 2014, when investigators in Montgomery County reopened a 1999 case involving the killing of Nesreen’s first husband. According to Amjad Alidam’s death certificate, he was shot and killed by Irsan. Irsan however got away with the killing then, after the shooting was dismissed as self-defense. Nesreen, who was previously married to Alidam, later told police officials that her husband’s shooting was entirely staged. She shared details of how her father had invited Alidam to the family home under false pretenses and then killed him with a shotgun. Reportedly, Irsan then fired a pistol into the wall before placing it near Alidam’s body to make it seem as though the victim had threatened to shoot and fired at Irsan first. Even though Irsan has not yet been charged in that case, investigation continues.
Additionally, Irsan, Shmou and Nadia have been in custody for over a year after being caught in a massive fraud investigation. This has obviously given prosecutors more time to build their case against the Irsans in the murder of Beavers.
“People want justice and they want justice yesterday. But in order for there to be true justice, it does require meticulous work and detail,” said Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia.
Bagherzadeh's family released a statement on April 22.
“The family is overjoyed about the latest development in their daughter's case. They appreciate the tireless efforts of the DA's office and HPD in Gelareh's case. Today, they are happy but still extremely sad. They have suffered in the past 39 months and nothing will bring their precious daughter back. Emotions are raw as they relive the horrific memories.”
Photo Credits: Act for America, Houston
