A Brisbane man who cut power to his uncle’s home before fatally stabbing him in what prosecutors called a “planned, vicious ambush” has been found guilty of murder and sentenced to life in prison.
Za’id Abdus Samad, 28, was convicted in the Supreme Court of Queensland over the 2017 killing of his uncle, Abdul Basith Mohammed, outside his Kuraby home as per ABC report.
The 35-year-old victim was stabbed multiple times after stepping outside late at night to investigate a power outage.
ABC reports that in her victim impact statement, Noelia Abdus Samad said her “world completely fell apart” after her husband’s death.
“At that time, our daughter was only two-years-old, she was just starting to get to know her dad. He also had two other children with his first wife, who was pregnant with their third child. In one terrible act, four children lost their father.”
ABC reports the jury took one day to return a guilty verdict after hearing evidence of a long-running family feud linked to a secret marriage between Abdus Samad’s half-sister, Noelia, and the victim.
The court was told the relationship — which produced a child — had caused deep tension within the family.
Crown Prosecutor Toby Corsbie told the court Abdus Samad was “fuelled by family hatred” and killed his uncle “in cold blood” over a “tragic misunderstanding of family history.”
During the trial, witnesses recounted that Abdus Samad had described the relationship as “haram” and “zina”, believing it to be incestuous, and had told fellow mosque members he would kill Mr Mohammed if his father did not stop him.
DNA evidence linked Abdus Samad to the crime scene, and a prison inmate testified that he had confessed to the murder while on remand.
Justice Glenn Martin, as per ABC report, described the murder as “a vicious ambush” carried out without reason.
“…you tricked the deceased into coming outside at night and it must have been the result of a plan you had put in place.”
Abdus Samad, who has already served seven years in custody, will be eligible for parole in 2038.
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