Murder of Noor Almaleki

Noor Faleh Almaleki[1] (Arabic: نور فالح المالكي) (c.1989 – November 2, 2009) was an Iraqi American woman whose father killed her by striking her with a motor vehicle in an honor killing.

Noor Faleh Almaleki
Bornc.1989
Iraq
DiedNovember 2, 2009(2009-11-02) (aged 20)
Arizona
EducationGlendale Community College, Dysart High School
Occupation(s)Student at Glendale Community College, various part-time jobs
Known forBeing the victim of an honor killing in Peoria, Arizona

Amnesty International USA stated that the murder was in headlines across the United States "because it happened in Arizona" instead of a faraway foreign country.[2]

Background

The family left Iraq when Almaleki was four,[3] and moved to the Phoenix area in the mid-1990s.[4] Noor's father, Faleh Hassan Almaleki,[4] originated from Basra, Iraq.[1] Almaleki and her family lived in Glendale, Arizona and later in the Paradise Views subdivision of Phoenix. She attended Dysart High School in El Mirage. Faleh had received his U.S. citizenship and Noor had graduated from high school. Before her death she attended Glendale Community College.[5]

Almaleki's parents clashed with her over her lifestyle and dress. Her father had her go to Iraq to marry an older cousin, but she flew back to Arizona in 2008 and began dating someone of her own choosing.[1] Abigail Pesta, the editor-at-large of Marie Claire, wrote "It's unclear whether a wedding actually took place."[5] In the spring of 2009 she moved into her own apartment but lost income when her family members turned up at her places of employment, forcing her to go back to her family's house. In June 2009 she moved into the household of other Iraqi Americans, former friends of the family. She developed a romance with the son of the family,[5] which upset her relatives.[1] Pesta stated that "Noor filed for a restraining order, but seems never to have finalized the paperwork."[5] Paul Rubin, in the Riverfront Times, wrote "From their perspective, a man's daughters are his property, and they are supposed to live with him until he decides otherwise."[6]

Crime and arrest

On October 20, 2009, Almaleki was assisting her boyfriend's mother with translation[1] at an office of the Arizona Department of Economic Security,[6][7] in Peoria. Outside the office, Faleh struck them with his vehicle.[8] As a result, Almaleki suffered bleeding in her brain and other injuries, though the skull never fractured. Parts of her body were paralyzed.[9] The collision also injured her boyfriend's mother,[1] including fracturing her pelvis.[5] Faleh did not stop and render aid, nor did he call for help.[10]

Doctors performed surgery on Almaleki's spine while police officers were assigned to guard her. The authorities did not reveal to her family where she was, fearing that her mother or siblings may try to kill her.[5] Almaleki was put in a coma.[3]

Pesta wrote "police records indicate that her family tried to help her father flee abroad."[5] Faleh drove to Mexico, left his car in the city of Nogales, and boarded a flight to London from Mexico City.[11][12] The UK Border Agency did not allow Faleh to enter the UK, and he was arrested after British authorities returned him to the United States.[4]

A urinary tract infection spread to Almaleki's heart. Maricopa County medical examiner Dr. Kevin Horn stated that the infection, and not the direct injuries from the collision, caused Almaleki's death.[9] On November 2, she experienced brain death and her life support was disconnected.[5]

Criminal penalty and aftermath

The trial began on January 24, 2011.[10][13] Faleh's lawyers stated in his trial that while he indeed hit the two women with his car, he did not intend to kill them, and therefore was guilty of second degree murder. Prosecutors attempted to get a first degree murder conviction,[7][14] but did not seek capital punishment against Faleh.[1] Faleh was convicted of second degree murder on February 22, 2011. The jury did not find that the act was premeditated.[3]

In April 2011,[15] Faleh was sentenced, at age 50, on multiple counts: for murdering his daughter he was sentenced to 16 years, for injuring her boyfriend's mother he received 15 years, and for leaving the scene of a crime without permission he received three and one half years. Because they are to be served consecutively, Faleh received a total of 34 and one half years in prison as his penalty.[4][16]

A friend established a Facebook group in her honor; by 2010 its membership was about 4,000.[5]

48 Hours aired an episode about the crime.[17]

See also

References
  1. Rubin, Paul (2010-04-01). "How a Muslim Woman Was "Honor-Killed" by Her Father Because He Believed She Was Too Americanized". Phoenix New Times. Retrieved 2019-12-06. Someone created a Facebook page, "R.I.P Noor Faleh Almaleki," within a few days of Noor's death.
  2. "The Horror of 'Honor Killings', Even in US". Amnesty International. 10 April 2012. Retrieved 2019-12-06.
  3. "Was Noor Almaleki the victim of an honor killing?". 48 Hours. CBS News. 2012-09-01. p. 1. Retrieved 2019-12-06.
  4. "Iraqi immigrant gets 34 years for killing 'too Westernized' daughter". CNN. 2011-04-16. Retrieved 2019-12-06.
  5. Pesta, Abigail (2010-07-08). "An American Honor Killing". Marie Claire. Retrieved 2019-12-06.
  6. Rubin, Paul (2020-03-31). "Honor Thy Father: A Muslim man in Phoenix "honor killed" his Americanized daughter". Riverfront Times. Retrieved 2020-04-04.
  7. Labi, Nadya (25 February 2011). "An American Honor Killing: One Victim's Story". time.com. Time. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
  8. Myers, Amanda L (2 January 2011). "Iraqi immigrant to be tried for daughter's death". NBC news. Associated Press. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
  9. Sheridan, Michael (2011-02-02). "Autopsy photos of Noor Faleh Almaleki shown at Arizona 'honor killing' trial of her father". New York Daily News. Retrieved 2019-12-17.
  10. "Was Noor Almaleki the victim of an honor killing?". 48 Hours. CBS News. 2012-09-01. p. 2. Retrieved 2019-12-06.
  11. "Iraqi jailed in Arizona for 34 years in daughter's killing". Reuters. 15 April 2011. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
  12. "Iraqi immigrant convicted of Arizona 'honour killing'". BBC News. 23 February 2011. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
  13. "'Honor killing' trial starts today in Phoenix". Middletown Press. 2011-01-24. Retrieved 2020-04-04.
  14. Halverstadt, Lisa; Michael Kiefer (2011-02-22). "Second-degree murder verdict in Peoria 'honor killing' trial". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved 2019-12-17.
  15. Mann, Camille (2011-04-18). "Faleh Almaleki sentenced to 34 years for murder of "too Westernized" daughter Noor". CBS News. Retrieved 2019-12-06.
  16. "Faleh Hassan Almaleki Receives 34-year Sentence for Murder, Aggravated Assault". Maricopa County Attorney's Office, AZ. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
  17. Dahl, Julia (2012-09-01). "Planned national hotline hopes to help American girls facing a forced marriage". CBS News. Retrieved 2019-12-06.

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