and incineration of an Iranian-American cab driver in northeastern Texas was found guilty Friday and sentenced to life in prison. A Denton County jury made up of eight men and four women deliberated only 13 minutes before finding Noah Whitehead guilty of robbing, murdering and then burning Hooshang Vatanpour, an Iranian-born cabdriver who was 56-years-old at the time. According to testimony during the trial, the cabbie, who worked 12-to-14-hour days to support his family, drove Whitehead and William Kirk Stephens, both 24, to a vacant lot near Alliance Airport on July 2, 2009. Once there, Vatanpour’s throat was cut and he was fatally stabbed seven times. Whitehead then instructed his girlfriend, Mariesha Ohlfs, to bring gasoline to burn the body. District Judge Bruce McFarling sentenced Whitehead to life in prison without the possibility of parole–the mandatory sentence since District Attorney Paul Johnson did not seek the death penalty. Whitehead is the first of three suspects to stand trial in the murder case. Stephens and Ohlfs are awaiting trial. “You have seen overwhelming evidence all week,” prosecutor Michael Dickins told the jury in his closing statement. “This knife,” he said, holding the object up for the jury to see, “to this day still has the victim’s bloodon it and Whitehead’s DNA.” Officials testified that Vatanpour’s blood was also found on Whitehead’s clothes. Vatanpour’s wallet was found next to the bed where Whitehead was sleeping and Vatanpour’s American Express card was inside Whitehead’s wallet. Video footage from three separate stores showed Whitehead and Ohlfs on a shopping spree charging their purchases to Vatanpour’s card. Prosecutor Rick Daniel said the evidence was overwhelming. Vatanpour “is not just a name. He is a real person who got up every day and went to work and had a family who loved him,” Daniel said. “And this man [Whitehead] on July 2, 2009, decided that this would be his last day on earth. He took that man’s life for this credit card.” Vatanpour’s daughter, Lida, said that while she was relieved that the trial had come to a close, she believed the jury should have been allowed to consider the death penalty. Johnson reportedly told her that Whitehead was too young at 24 to be considered for the death penalty and that his criminal record was not extensive enough. Johnson met with family members to explain his decision to not seek the death penalty, First Assistant District Attorney Jamie Beck said. He explained his reasoning, which reportedly cannot be made public because Whitehead has indicated he will appeal and because there still are two other suspects to be set to be tried. According to the Fort Worth Star Telegram, Whitehead admitted to a sheriff’s investigator that he stabbed Vatanpour twice in the heart and hit him once with a beer bottle and several times with his fist. But he blamed Stephens for actually cutting the victim’s throat and for the remaining five stab wounds. Stephens is awaiting trial on a separate murder charge while Ohlfs has been charged with aggravated robbery. Defense attorney Lee Ann Breading called no witnesses in defense of her client, and said, “It is a difficult role defending Noah for such a senseless crime. But he has the right to be judged by you on the evidence in this case.” Lida said that more than 4,000 people attended her father’s funeral service because he was so well-loved. She asked God to have mercy on Whitehead. “Although you may have taken my father, I will not allow you to take away the lessons that he taught me,” she said. “You may have perished my dad’s body, but you will never take away his memory.” Vatanpour, a former Iranian Air Force helicopter pilot, moved his family to Texas in 2003 in an effort to escape religious persecution as members of the Baha’i faith.
