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update

A suburban Dallas man who evaded arrest for more than 12 years after being accused of fatally shooting his two teenage daughters in 2008 was convicted Tuesday in their killings.

Yaser Said, 65, was found guilty of capital murder in the deaths of 18-year-old Amina Said and 17-year-old Sarah Said. Prosecutors did not pursue the death penalty, meaning Yaser Said receives an automatic life sentence.

Prosecutor Lauren Black has said Said was “obsessed with possession and control.”

The sisters were found shot to death in a taxi parked near a hotel in the Dallas suburb of Irving on New Year’s Day in 2008. Jurors heard a 911 call Sarah Said made by cellphone, telling the operator that her father had shot her and that she was dying.

Dubbed “honor killings” by the national media, the murder of two teenage girls near Dallas, Texas, sparked a nationwide manhunt for the prime suspect: their father. Now, for the first time since his conviction, Yaser Said breaks his silence about the night he fatally shot his daughters, the events leading up to the tragedy and how he managed to evade capture for over a decade.

Premiered Nov. 17. 2024

“my case is being used to , to achive  achieve  political  points

-Yaser said

yaser claimed the  FBI  knowa that he’s innocent ,and they know that 

yaser  said  says  that  he’s  the victim here .

behind every murder ….there’s a mind that conceived it.

amina later wrote her father , intended to sell them to the highest bidder .

the mind  behind murders of two teenagers girls in Texas belongs to yaser said there father .

it’s called an honor killing

now after finally being captured

and convicted yaser said is ready to tal for the first time about the so called honor killin murderes.

it’s easy to get lost in Texas,you can disapppear among the crisscrossing interstate and the vast empty landskacpes

a man who did just  that  for years – yaser  said  was most  wanted a fugitive hiding somewhere  between the texas tumbleweed.

but before he wanished …..

on  new year’s day , 2008 , 18 year old amina said and 17 year old sarah said were discovered

shot dead in their father’s abandoned taxi in Irving Texas

the crime made national news

according to police , their father , yaser said  cab driver who had emigrated from egypt was  adamantly opposed to his daughters dating anyone.

their murders were dubbed honor killings in the media.

it’s called an honor killing , honor killing is murder , condemned by all major religions but dondoned incertain old tribal customs around the world

the victims are often young women resisting the control of the male  heads of household.

the killers are often their own fathers who blame the victims forbringing shame onto the the family and death unto themselves

taser said grew up  in egypt but his daughters were  all american and tough by texans  to boot intelligent, abitious and independent.

for the victims justice would be  ong delayed by their fathers conniving

news outlest acrooss the country  covered the missing said.

for 12 years  said  evaded capture and the case languished,finally  ,the FBI  found him hifind in plain sight just 39 miles from where the murders took place

he was arrested in 2020 later convicted of murder.

from  san antanio at the end of this lonely higheasy is the man responsible for amina and sarah’s horrific deaths.

yaser said has agreed to be interviewd here for the first time and afgter hiding quietly as a fugitive fro mor than a decade   he says he’s going to talk.

the heinous horrific nature of some crimes. those  are difficult things for people  to understand abducting , torturing and murdering a child -how could someone do that?

it ‘s important for people to understang how these individual think how they process information, what their emotional reactions are or what their lack of emotional reactons are 

 yaser want’s he’s voice  to be heard . the FBI knows that my case is being used to achieve a cheap political points  and they know that he’s  innocent.

in a letter to the judge   yaser wrote in his case ,he could smell  conspiracy in the atmosphere

after all this years yaser said still deny his guilt

trying and get inside the mind of a man who murdered his own daughters ,a crime he still denies.

yaser  comes from egypt and married into a rather poor white american christian family ,he was 30 year old  and she was  a minor. he claimes that she was 15 or 16. 

in fact, Tisi or  patricia said was only 15  below the legal age of consent in Texas.

that is  a very big age difference  .

 yaser said   in his  culture  that’s common over there  shortly after married , yaser had these two beautiful  daughters.

what does he remember about them….?

he remembers that they are smart, they study  and he have a library  full of movies  about them, he says he walk with the camera in his hands

about almost 100 .  he talked about those videos in court ,he talked about how  these home videos show  him exactly and you can tell ig you look to the kid’s face you can tell if this kid’s happy or have a problem you can tell

yaser said’s home videos  ended up in the possession of a documentary

filmmaker named  neena  nejad who set  out to tell the girls stroy while said was still in hiding

he was  obsessed with video taping mostly the  girls it was a breat  insight into not just their  lives but also in  to yaser’s,just his  perversion s ,his control

it was definitely a treasure trove of information

 jaser  says amina was a normal teeanger ,she’s smart and   thery are good kids .  that’s what he’s saying.

sarah was the same  she and her sister they are very close.

 a shift in yaser’s  demeanor when  asked him descrbie is daughters. his  eyes wandered , his voice got  quite

he lost the excitement . he’d shwn over his home movie collection

these small or micro gestures can be revealing about the mind of a murderer

says robert hanlon of northwestern university medical school who  studied the case.

he says  he wasn’t  interessted in  discussing these types  of family issues , he wants  to talk about himself this man is extremely egotistical self centered some particularly some psychoaths , narcissistic psychopaths . they want the attention.

no dating , no sex ,no alcohol , no drugs  , no party that’s was yaser said’s rules.

but those rules didn’t apply to yaser according to fim director neena  nejad 

yaser is not a religious person . eah ,he grew up  in a muslim household but he felt like he  went to a mosque every day, he drank  , he smked , which of those are all against the Quran

so his not this pious muslim man.

it is  very much  about  control, it is very much having dominance  being the head the head of the household.

and  when you have your daughter who  are rebelling you haveto gain that control

yaser wanted the girls to be wed in arranged  marriage in egypt.

and says  this is a big story  bevause  some people they don’t know what that means., they thin we force the girl to marry the man we like whosh is wrong  .

amina later wrote about her fears that her father  intended to and this are her words ,quote  , sell them to the highest  bidder ro an older man that she did not love in a land that she said she hated .

hee’s a spontaneous laugh there,he’s laughing at her . that’s very revealig about his character

he’s a wall of denial , he’s he wants to try to spin this with the regard to the deats of his  two daughters.

yaser were spying on the girls. he followed them with his camera when they were at work 

yaser saying  your talking about our culture in the family there is this chain of command ,yaser says he direct  his  kids  telling them what to do to make sure they didnt harm themselves.that they didn’t go  for  a suspicious activity that’s  his right  

and they don’t alow sex  to happen

his desire to control his daughters and their sexuality

yaser said says  this is a very important issue to the anyone in the middle east

and  imagine  that  if they were not virgins that could comprimise o undermine a plan  to arrange their marriages .

so if  they  were  having sex, would that  have given yaser  said a motive to kill them ?

yaser says that he  didn’t think the way they think over  there  in middle east 

let’s talk about the night of the murders,what happened that night?

 yaser said’s  daughters left a trail  of icriminating  evidence in the weeks before he killed them on new years  day 2008 on december 24th

amina and sarah told people  including their mother thaty yaser threathened amina with a gun  yaser threatened  to kill her .

she told the teacher she aws gonna run away  because her father  would kill her if he found her .  and they left the home.

yaser said says that he didn’t  do any threats to  his family . 

but why would they lie about  that? should we not believe their own vords? 

it turns out amina and sara had confided in a teacher about their father’s violent threats  and their plan to esacape.

they  ran way  far for their lives,of what yaser would do to them, they leave the home and runaway .

to yaser it was  a normal day ,he went to work and suddenly the phone battery go down and  yaser decided to go home to fix it 

cuz he got spare  a and  he find his son sitting in the driveway 

he said  patricia  , she takes the  girls and he didn’t know where they were going.

yaser says their is no fighting , no problem , no nothing.

in fact , after years of abuse and recent threat from their father  . amina and sarah  along with their mother  patricia  secretely fled thee home on christmas day 2007

but afte just one week ,their moter tick  the girls  into tetuning home to their father

patricia  wants to go back to put flowers on her  mother’s grave. amna ends up going to a friend’s house and patricia takes  sara home

that’s when amina fjnds out that her mom actually lied that she was never  planning  on visiting  the grandmother ‘s grave  site that they were actually going back to the yaser .

 and that’s whe  it all happened  aftert that .

on new year’s day , around seven p,m said told amina and sarah that he wanted to take them to dinner to talk.

he put the girls in his taxi cab and told thir mother she wouldn’t  joinging them.

yaser own words what appened that  night

yaser said says he was going to tal them and this is car  was following me and  he became alarmed  that he thouht  he was being followed.

he stop  in an area where everyone can se them. he was made and  he left 

they said  later  in the court  he  found out  the father of the boysfriends , it was one of this var because he say two cars. they say  one car

 but jaser guesse’s claimes it was out of fear of unknown assailants  that he abandoned his car and daughters and fled the scene before  they were  murderede.

 but non of that adds up

yaser never reported any threats against  him, never called the police and  or  asked for help.

why did  he think  he was in danger?

 because they want to get rid of me said yaser , not the girls   the ones they followed him. he said  that’s what FBI 

this car followed him  ,these two cars , why the  alwayts follow me and what they see?and where is the man who has followed him? where he go? is this not  important questions?

yaser can smell the conspiracy

 the smell of conspiracy……

said has offered this explanation  before  at his trial.

at his  trial he suprisingly took the stand with the helfo f a translater  and suggested  a conspiracy had inplicated hom in the crime

” there was a secret agenda,and  then all  the media was steered in a certain direction and fueled against me that i will  not get a fair trail.”

prosecutors say there was no conspiracy  against  said the  night of the murders.only a coincidence that he later seized  upon to point the blame elswhere.

aminas boyfriend testified that he  and his father happened to see her in the taxi and briefly followed before driving away  without intervening.

but said still claims an international conspiracy framed him  for the crime

“how when i get arrest  ,the launch this law right away in the united Arab emirates

yaser saying that  his case in conspiracy to change th laws  in the Emriates.

phone records from the night of the shootings leave no doubt about  said ‘s bizarre alibi.

said answered a call from the girl’s mother  at exactly 7′.29still with the car and his daughters  , he made o mention of any threats  of cars following him .

yaser was in the  at 7:29 and took that phone calll and then  four minutes later ,just four minutes later  ,  his  brave daughter ,sara uses her last  breath to call 911  , four   minutes later

so this elaborate sonspiracy yaser talk about  would have had to happen between 7:29  and 7:33.

yaser isn’t sure about the time .

he had  a gun , a firearm in the car, yaser says no  he wouldn’t have the gun in the car . but  he whish he have it.

but the testimony  in court  yaser acknowledged leaving the can in the car 

” because  it’s a dangerous ara ,and i work at night yaser  would take his gun with him and place it  between the seat and the cubby -bt not everyday.

why would you leave yaser leave his gun behind? at this time he didn’t think about his gun. he says  you  think about  to run for  your life.

and yaser didn’t thinkto keep his gun to protect himself

there are so many  contraditions in yaser story

yaser sense danger but he left  his girls to face it on their own.

he says  he never thougt it would go that far.not the girls.

but how would yaser wouls know if he didn’t know who , he  didn’t know why he thought there was a threat but he left his girls behind to face it  themselves ,

what father  would leave his girls   behind to face danger on their own.

yaser says it was a misstake, but the issue  is where is  the camera? why they don’t want to see the camera? the surveillance camera

yaser  make it sound like his  the victim here .his the victime.

it is not uncommonfor individuals cconvicted of murder to spin the crime as if they were someho victimized.

yaser’s classic antiscosial personality ,hesgoing to lie direktly to the interviewer  he ‘s going to lie directly to the camera because he belives  its’ in his self interest to do.

in this letter tothe judge said also  makes the claime that his case was being usede by the US government topressure the united Arab Emirates ,to change its lawa on sex  , alcohol and  hoor killings.

the case was called the honor killing murders in the media

what does yaser thinl about the practice  of honor kilings  ins thatcondoned in  his culture?

yaser said says he think different than this people  in america but yeas over their  is a issue.

honor   killing is essentially if you do anything to disohnor the family, so basically anything that  brings shme to the family  especially as a women  or as a young girl  

in order torstorethe honor back to the family  ,basiclly  you have to kill you  its’s your life for the honor.

the victims tend to be individuals who are defiant andunwilling to follow the commands of the father figure or the  adult male  who expects the child to marry  someone that has bene schosen by the father.

allthoug sometimes associtated  with muslim  coutries ,the practice of honor killing has no basis in religion

it originates in certain trbial cultures around the world

it’s actually nowhere in the koran  i regards  ro any of those things, this are  culturally based beliefs but there was a terrible irony behind the media in  said’s case  in the yrars leading up to their murders.

there’s the question of his own  sexual  aassaults against  his daughters when there were when they were young children .

the court says that , this is accusation? why you bring  accusations?  says  yaser said.

yaser  was  investigatin for it ,it’s part  of the records it’s not  an accusation , yaser were  actaully  investigated and indited  for it 

yaser were ndicted fortwo counts for penetration of the vagina and  or anus  of a child  by penis or finger.

yaser says it all fake

so 1998 anuba and sarah had told trisha’s mom that their father was abusing them sexually and they ended up taking him to the police they file report baadically that he would go into their room and touch them.

fondle them   there was  supposedly penetration. the police did do an investigation and they indict yaser ‘s aid and then later on, and they recanted the stories.so there was some fear facor used to have thee girls  recan the story

testimon at trial revealed that said trheatened to kill his wife if the girls didn’t recant and out of fear they did.

the case was then dismissed.

yaser don’t deny  that this indictment is aprt of the record and say it is fals.

why would   yasers’s  eight year old and nine year old  daughters  tell  people that  his father put his front part inside  they part. (-he was  wearing and gray shorts and a T shirt) very detailed eccusations an then nvestigated and then accusatons and then investigatated  yaser were in fact indicted

yaser said say  that’s  nothing ,  nothing even close to the truth.

growing up in the said houshold  must have been very tough very hard  emotinonal  and phyiscally and mentally draining.

you have a father that’s explosive ,that’s abusive ,who’s watching you every move, you  probably fell very caged

is just as likely that  he killed these girls  because he had lost control of them and they were going to t pursue  other sexual interests , which he could not tolerate.

 that  is very different that  then  the concept of honor killing  .

Amina  ,just week before she was murdered ,she tpdl a teacher about  the tension in the household and she said  that she was terrified of you , she said we are running away before the

break ends , i know he  will search for us until he finds us and he will without any drama or doubt  kill us.

” i don’t think this is true , i don’t believe   that “

  it’s in an email she wrote to a teacher .( amina)

yaser don’t  know how this emaol is made and  he do’t kno e ig it’s real or  or not ,he think  it’s could be a fake.

would that have given yaser a motive to kill the  not because of their disgraceful behavior ,but to cover up yaser’s own disgraceful behaviour.

amina was talking about her sexual abuser of her again and she told the teacher that when they were younger he used  to do things and he started hinting  at them again.

 did yaser said   kil his daughters to shut them up? from making these accusations?

yaser said says it’s not true m it’s just accusations no,no  i don’t  believe  that ‘s even her words.

but still say  this is a political conspiracy ,even wih all this evidence.

mr said’s story defies logic and common  sense and frankly  all belief.,,not even sure if mr said  believed it ,but his familt derainly doesnt seem to believe it .

the jury didn’t believe it, its impossible  to imagine that these crimes  are the result of an elaborate conspiracy

when infact ,  yaser ‘s daughters had been threatened  ,they say by  yaser and were were found dead in his taxi cab last seen with yaser .

 does that make sense to you?

yaser say  FBI didn’t do they job , the irving police  they hide something, the media was not honest  in this case  especialy in this case to achieve political point overseas .that all mr said had to say.

for 12 years  yaser stay hidding , is that the action of an innocent man? never turned himself in? how was he able to do that?

immediately after the murders , yaser disappear for 12 years  yaser didn’t even go to the funurals to mourn them.

yaser said says he didn’t get  a fair trial

but yaser disappeard  even fbefore there were media reports

what onnodent man would not go to mourn their  daughthers at the funural?

yaser said says most people  advised him not to go to the funural. everybod even the community

how were yaser able to stay hidden for so long?

yaser said says when people around you ,when your community  know you’re not  a criminal you get help from community  .

did he mean his family , no the community  

no the mislim people in  yaser said community told that yaser  didn’t   attend mosque , they didn’t really know him.

yaser didn’t even attend the mosque service for his daughter so highly doubt that the mosque hepled  yaser

for years   the FBI  scanned  the globe  looking for said but filmmaker neena nejad had a hunch

could said be hiding in plain  sight right there in Texas ?

 neena  went to antoher brother’s house talked to the daughter briefly  

yasers said’s son islam had  let loose his rage and tipped his hand.

to goes to that exten to try tothreaten   shows  that  you’re scared and why would you be scared unless you’re  hiding something or someone?

Neena nejad ‘s fikm the price of honor  was released in 2014 and raised awareness that said was still  on the run when they premiered it in Dallas they had security

because they knew some of his family members were gona be there

the movie halped   put said  on the FBI’s top 10 kmost  wanted list and law enforcement soon got a tip about an inconspicuous house in justin, Texas  just 39 miles from amina and sara  were  killed.

Police watched the house for several days and finaly arrested  yaser said  12 years after the murders.

remakable that he was  able to maintain his freedom and  not  be detected by law enforcement as long as he did.this  is  very smart gut who  was able to pull that off.

said’sbrother  yasa and son

  islam orchestrated an elaborate systemfor supplying the fugitive in  his hideout.

both are now serving long sentences in federal prison doe aiding and abetting 

mr said  seem to be without conscience or remorse either for the dead or the living  whose lives he ruined

are yaser said not prepared to take  responsiblity for any of is crimes?

yaser  said says  he didn’t do  crime , i’m the only one here without criminal report , without crime .because when it comes to politics it become dirty amina.

amin  a she new  this was gonna  happen , she told people  this was gonna happen” we are running away before the break in , i know  until he finds us now he will witout  any drama or doubt kill us.”

those are the words of yaser saids  own daughter, amina about  him just weeks before yaser murdered them .

yaser said says he didn’t murder nobody and he don’t think  even she writes this . and says this is very shockingnews for  him.

” god .I am so scared right noe as hyou know , we are not allowed to date and my dad is trying to arrange my marriage we do not want to live by the culture or marry men from over there,especially men we do not know or love,

my dad began ching phone records and he took my sisters in the room and specifially threatened to quote, hurt her very badly , that she didn’t tell what was going on with the dating .

when we were younger he use  to do things and he starting hinting at them again,he has simply made our lives a nightmare . he’s one man,not god, someone should be able to stop him”

 those  are amina’s words.

yaser doesn’t believe  this is amina’s words because what he sees, he always take care of them, he take them everywhere ,that doesn’t make see yaser said 

and he doesn’t know why   amina would say this things. and dosen’t think she even  said that .

yaser doesn’t want to thake this opportunity  to face  up to these crime and take responsibility for his actions,because he didn’t do any crime that’s all .

with that  yaser said had enough , the interview was over, he disappeared once again just like he  had  years earlier

but this time  into the bowels of Texas  state prison where he will spend the rest of his live