Disclaimer: The article contains mentions of honor killings and murder. Readers are advised to exercise caution.
Investigators describe how they found Yaser Said in 'honor killing' trial
On New Year's Day 2008, authorities discovered the lifeless bodies of Sarah and Amina Said in a hotel parking lot in Irving, Texas. Reports suggested that police found the bodies in the trunk of a cab their father was driving. After the discovery of the bodies, authorities launched an investigation and discovered that their father, Yaser Said, may have been responsible for the murders. The documentary The Price of Honor examines the case in detail. It also reveals why a father brutally murdered two of his children.
According to ABC News, Sarah and Amina Said were always afraid of their father and once said he would kill them. The outlet cited an email from Amina, stating that Amina told her history teacher how her father made their lives "a nightmare." As a result, they, along with their mother and boyfriends, left Texas for Oklahoma in December 2007. However, they returned to their home on New Year's Eve. A day later, Amina and Sarah's bodies were discovered in a hotel parking lot in Texas. Someone called authorities and told them about the bodies. The autopsy revealed that the killer had shot Amina twice, while Sarah had been shot nine times.
However, it took 12 years for authorities to arrest Yaser Said for the murders. During the trial, Said testified that he did not kill his daughters. He also said that he got out of his cab and ran into the woods when he felt like someone was going to hurt him. CBS News quoted his statement, reporting, "I didn't expect anyone to hurt them." Said's ex-wife subsequently testified against Said, calling him a "devil" before calling him an insult. After hearing several arguments, the jury deliberated for three hours and found Yaser Said guilty of the murders. As a result, the court sentenced him to life in prison without the possibility of parole, according to ABC News. Yaser Said is currently serving his sentence in a prison in Beeville, Texas.