May 26, 2018
Jury selection has begun in Houston for the murder trial of a Jordanian man accused of killing two people, including an Iranian-American woman, Gelareh Bagherzadeh, in January 2012.
Her execution-style murder was originally suspected by many to be a political act carried out by the Islamic Republic because she was active in anti-regime protests. But others noted that thousands of people in the US protested against the regime and didn’t give the murder theory much credence.
Eventually, investigators said Bagherzadeh was killed by a Jordanian man who was a staunch Muslim and opposed his daughter’s marriage to a Christian. Police said the killer believed Bagherzadeh had encouraged the marriage.
Ali Mahwood-Awad Irsan faces a possible death sentence if convicted of the killing of Bagherzadeh, who was a close friend of Irsan’s daughter, Nesreen, and may have encouraged her to marry Coty Beavers, a Christian.
The 28-year-old Beavers was killed 11 months later. Irsan also is accused of that killing.
Potential juror questioning is expected to take weeks. The Houston Chronicle reports opening arguments in the trial are scheduled for June 25.
Prosecutors have said both slayings were motivated by the 60-year-old Irsan’s ire over his daughter’s conversion to Christianity and marriage to Beavers.
