No Hate Crime- Shaima Alawadi's Husband Goes On Trial For

Remember Shaima Alawadi? She was the 32-year-old Iraqi immigrant woman who was beaten to death in El Cajon, Califronia in March, 2012.  Everyone was convinced it was because she was a hijab-wearing Muslim woman. "Hate crime!" was the rallying cry from clueless liberals, after all there was a note left by her badly beaten body that said: Go back to your country, you terrorist. People were blaming right-wing Islamophobes in this country for inspiring some nut job to murder an innocent Muslim woman simply because she wore a hijab. Someone even created a Facebook page- One Million Hijabs For Shaima. But there were too many oddities surrounding the case, and it seemed to me more like an honor killing by a husband who Shaima was planning on divorcing. Or perhaps murder- Shaima's young daughter was terribly upset over an impending arranged marriage to a cousin.

About 8 months later, surprise, surprise, Shaima's 48-year-old husband Kassim Alhimidi was arrested for the murder. They didn't call it an honor killing, though- not the politically correct thing to do- no, they called it domestic violence.

Anyway, Kassim's day in court has arrived.

An Iraqi man wailed Tuesday during opening statements of his U.S. trial on a charge of murdering his wife, prompting the judge to halt proceedings briefly.

Two years after the Shaima Alawadi’s fatal beating in her California home drew international attention, the weapon remains missing but prosecutors said other evidence proves her husband, Kassim Alhimidi, killed her.

Prosecutor Kurt Mechals told jurors that local and federal police investigated the March 21 death initially as a hate crime because of a note found near her body, but street camera footage and the information from the couple’s eldest daughter about a troubled marriage led police to Alhimidi.

Defense attorney Douglas Gilliland said no blood was found on Alhimidi, who has cooperated with authorities.

I still wonder if the daughter had anything to do with the murder, but not surprised at all that it was a family member.

And that Facebook page no longer exists. It was gone after the arrest of Kassim.