EXCLUSIVE Shocking new revelations about father who attempted to 'strangle his teen daughter in honor killing'
Ihsan Ali, 44, and his wife Zahraa Subhi Mohsin Ali, 40, are charged with second-degree attempted murder and attempted kidnapping after the attack on October 18.
The girl, 17, who wasn't named, ran away from home to Timberline High School in Lacey, Washington, after her parents tried to put her on a plane to Iraq.
'Her father had recently been threatening her with honor killing for refusing an arranged marriage with an older man in another county,' the girl told police.
Shocking video allegedly showed Ihsan on the ground with his daughter in a chokehold outside the school, while classmates desperately tried to free her.
Ihsan and Zahraa both pleaded not guilty and are expected to go on trial in July.
After she was freed and escaped alleged murder attempts by both her parents and fled into the school with her boyfriend, 16, she detailed shocking claims of abuse to cops going back years.
A police report newly released to DailyMail.com of a three-hour interview with the girl on October 24 explained it started while the family lived in Arizona.
The family moved to the US from Iraq when she was in elementary school, and before long her little sister Jenat-Alhuissa Ali was diagnosed with bone cancer.
Ihsan did not take the news well, and began 'hitting her and her siblings for the smallest things', Detective Julie Mullen wrote in her report.
The girl said the abuse got 'really bad' when they moved to Washington state to get better healthcare for her sister and be closer to her uncle in Canada.
'She gave an example of her dad stripping her little sister naked and throwing out her clothes because she didn't want to wear certain things,' police wrote.
'Her dad also ripped all of her clothes up and threw them away because he thought they looked bad.'
Jenat-Alhuissa died in hospice care on January 31, 2021, aged nine.
The girl said the family knew Ihsan 'was going to get really violent' whenever he said, 'Turn up the TV, let's talk'.
One time he hit her older sister Norrulhuda (Nora), now 19, 'with the wood end of a shovel on her arms leaving bruises for sneaking away to visit a friend'.
Another time her oldest sister Haneen, now 21, accidently spilled tea on Ihsan after Nora tripped her, so he grabbed the teapot and threw tea on Haneen.
He then 'grabbed her by the hair and threw her to the ground', leaving a scratch on her head.
But the girl said the worst abuse was reserved for her little brother, who is autistic and Ihsan had little patience for his condition.
One time he force-fed the little boy spaghetti until he choked, then slapped him in the face, according to the report.
'She said the second incident her father took her brother to work with him who in turn 'tasted' the 'blue thing' in the urinal,' the report detailed.
She said her dad got mad at him and 'hurt' her brother with the belt, which left bruises all over his back.
'She said the third time her brother was in the bathroom and he 'pooped' on the floor. She said her dad got upset with him and shoved the poop in his mouth to make him 'taste it'.
The girl also alleged her father threw a watermelon at her brother's back, who then fell over and the fruit 'broke open all over his back'.
A particularly violent episode was few months before the October 18 attack, when Ihsan accused her two cousins, aged 10 and 12, of stealing $10,000 in cash that went missing.
Ihsan allegedly 'beat them with a shower curtain rod and broke the wall' and threw a wooden vase at her grandmother when she tried to intervene.
The girl said she didn't see her cousins being beaten but she 'heard them screaming'.
Haneen and Nora were allegedly also abusive towards her, including on July 10 last year when they beat her with a stick because she refused to go to a religious function.
'[The girl] said her mom was hitting her with her shoe so she was fighting back and took the shoe away from her mom to defend herself,' Detective Mullen wrote.
'Haneen was mad that she made her mom cry so she started hitting her with a stick. Nora grabbed her and they were trying to take her phone away.
'[The girl] said she went to her room and they took her TV and Xbox away.'
Then on September 15 last year, her sisters allegedly attacked her when her boyfriend came to the house and they wouldn't let her outside to see him.
Instead they pushed and dragged her upstairs and yelled at her 'as to why she could not take a 'no' for an answer'.
She said they tried to get her phone but she hid it, so they locked the doors and windows to her room so she couldn't get outside.
Her boyfriend saw the commotion through the windows and yelled at them until neighbors called the police, but officers left when no one answered the door.
The girls remained trapped in her room until Ihsan got home and broke her phone in half in a rage after seeing the police outside on security footage.
Haneen, 21, is accused of trying to fend off her younger sister's classmates so Zahraa could allegedly choke the girl to death in the 'honor killing'. Haneen has not been charged
Ishan's eldest daughter Haneen, 21, and wife Zahraa Subhi Mohsin Ali, 40, were also involved in the attack. Zahraa was also charged with attempted murder but Haneen is not charged with a crime
The girl also detailed her father's alleged threats to kill her for dating an American boy, and refusing an arranged marriage.
She said his threats escalated after the September 15 incident and an altercation outside the school between her boyfriend and Zahraa the next day.
Ihsan was so furious he pulled her out of school for the weeks until the October 18 attack.
'If I could kill you, I would kill you, but I can't do that. I can't do that because there's cops and CPS people involved right now because of you,' she claimed he said.
'And I can't touch you because you will immediately go to the school.'
The girl told police Ihsan another time told her he wanted to 'hurt her so badly but there are cops here' but also told her how he would 'kill her no matter what happens' and he 'did not care if anyone saw him'.
'[The girl] said the reason why her father threatened to kill her [was] because she has made 'trouble at home' and he believes she is trying to 'separate the family',' the report alleged.
She said one time her dad caught her using a cell phone and dragged her by the hair, which caused her to 'hit the wall' and hurt her knee.
The girl said her father had already bought plane tickets for her family fly to Iraq for an arranged marriage.
Fearing she would be forced onto the flight or murdered, the teenager fled to Timberline High School the morning of October 18 and met her boyfriend in class.
Discovering she was gone, her parents went to the boyfriend's home with the police and demanded to know where she was.
The boyfriend's father, Victor Barnes, said he told them he didn't know, but presumed she was at school.
Police reports detailed how the girl spent all day with school officials until they found a safe place for her to stay, but did not offer her transport to get there.
Instead, the teen and her boyfriend went to the bus stop out the front of the school to wait for a local bus that would take her to the accommodation.
Suddenly, just after 2.10pm, Ishan emerged from the truck and confronted them, yelling at his daughter in Arabic.
Barnes said his son told him another student, who spoke Arabic, yelled back, 'She doesn't want to go back with you. Leave her alone.'
Ihsan allegedly responded by punching the boyfriend, who was standing in front of her, sending him 'flying onto the concrete'.
He then allegedly put his daughter in a headlock and tried to choke her to death, saying, 'It's not right… you are not supposed to do this'.
Victor Barnes (pictured), the boyfriend's father, explained how the attack unfolded - and the events before it - as told to him by his son
The boyfriend and other students said 'her eyes rolled back, and her arms started flailing' before she went limp and unconscious as they tried to save her.
Her boyfriend managed to subdue him, along with other students, by repeatedly punching Ishan in the head until he was dazed and let go, prosecutors said.
Josh Wagner, who was driving by the school and stopped to break up what he thought was a school fight, then restrained Ishan until police arrived about 2.20pm.
Zahraa then allegedly entered the fray and also tried to choke her daughter to death, but was separated by the growing group of kids despite Haneen's attempts to hold them off.
The girl told police she fled inside with her boyfriend yelling, 'My dad was trying to kill me' as Zahraa allegedly pursued her to the school doors, but wasn't let in.
Police bodycam footage obtain by DailyMail.com showed officers arriving at the school and arresting Ihsan, who demanded to speak to his daughter.
'Just let me tell her to come home - not like that. If I tell her to go home, she will go home,' he insisted, but police ignored him.
Officers then had to deal with Zahraa and Haneen, who were hysterical and only left after Zahraa was allowed to speak to Ihsan.
Police did not realize Zahraa also allegedly tried to kill her daughter until four days later, leaving her free to continue looking for her daughter, who was in hiding.
Zahraa drove her youngest children, two boys aged five and three, into Canada and dropped them off with an Ihsan's brother and mother, who lived there.
She then returned to Washington before trying to cross into Canada a second time with a 'notable quantity of baggage' on the night of October 22, but was arrested by customs officers.
The boyfriend suffered a boxer's fracture as he tried to get Ishan off his girlfriend, and bruises and scratches on his head and face.
The girl spent four days in St Peter Hospital for treatment after a strangulation exam, having complained of neck, throat, and jaw pain, and had difficulty swallowing.
Hospital staff listed her injuries as including redness and abrasions to her face, head, shoulders, neck, scalp, and under her chin.
She also had suffered burst blood vessels in her eyes and an eyelid droop.
'She believes she lost consciousness three to four times during the incident,' court documents alleged, adding that at one point she woke up with dirt pressed into her face.
'[The girl] stated that she thought she was going to die.'
Barnes explained that his son started dating the girl in February 2024, and her family kept it a secret from her father, who was often out of town running his business.
'He's an abusive man. So they just didn't tell him because... they may think he'll fly off the handle and do something crazy like he did,' he said.
Ihsan was not initially charged with attempted murder, and released from jail on October 24 on just a $150,000 bond after a hearing in Thurston County Superior Court before Judge John Skinder.
Zahraa faced a different judge - Christopher Lanese - on the same day, but she was charged with attempted murder and held on $500,000 bail.
Almost two weeks after his release, on November 5, second-degree attempted murder was finally added to Ihsan's charges.
Ihsan was re-arrested and his bail raised to $1 million, which was too much for him to pay. He remains in jail, while Zahraa's bond was unchanged.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
22 minutes ago
- The Independent
Vermont judge refuses to delay death penalty decision for Zizian charged in border agent's death
A federal judge in Vermont has refused to delay a decision on whether a woman charged in the death of a U.S. Border Patrol agent will face the death penalty. In an order made public Monday, Chief Judge Christina Reiss denied a motion from Teresa Youngblut, 21, who is accused of opening fire on agent David Maland during a traffic stop on Jan. 20. Youngblut, who is part of a cultlike group known as Zizians that has been connected to six killings in three states, faces a July 28 deadline to explain why prosecutors should not seek the death penalty, even though she has yet to be charged with a crime eligible for such a punishment. Youngblut's attorneys asked the judge to set a new deadline of Jan. 30, 2026, for submitting mitigating evidence and to prohibit prosecutors from making a decision until after the material has been reviewed. The judge expressed concern that the government is ignoring its own procedures and needlessly rushing the case but ultimately said 'both the process and the ultimate charging decision are the sole prerogative" of prosecutors. The deadly shootout in Vermont happened on Inauguration Day, just hours before President Donald Trump signed a sweeping executive order lifting the moratorium on federal executions. Attorney General Pam Bondi later cited Maland's death in directing federal prosecutors to seek the death penalty in murder cases involving law enforcement officers unless they find significant mitigating circumstances. Youngblut's lawyers argue the government has imposed a 'radically inadequate' and 'extraordinarily rushed' timeline for that determination. They filed a motion Monday asking the judge to reconsider her decision, saying a delay will not diminish prosecutors' authority. 'Should the court grant Youngblut's motion, nothing will prevent the government from indicting death-eligible offenses or seeking the death penalty in this case,' they wrote. 'The government will simply be required to do so on a slightly less accelerated timeline.' At the time of the shooting, authorities had been watching Youngblut and her companion, Felix Bauckholt, for several days after a Vermont hotel employee reported seeing them carrying guns and wearing black tactical gear. She's accused of firing at border agents who pulled the car over on Interstate 91. An agent fired back, killing Bauckholt and wounding Youngblut. The pair were among the followers of Jack LaSota, a transgender woman also known as Ziz whose online writing about veganism, gender identity and artificial intelligence attracted young, highly intelligent computer scientists who shared anarchist beliefs. Members of the group have been tied to the death of one of their own during an attack on a California landlord in 2022, the landlord's subsequent killing earlier this year, and the deaths of a Pennsylvania couple in between. LaSota and two others face weapons and drug charges in Maryland, where they were arrested in February, while LaSota faces additional federal charges of being an armed fugitive.
The Independent
22 minutes ago
- The Independent
What to know about Bryan Kohberger's sentencing hearing for killing four Idaho students
For many University of Idaho students, a 'shelter in place' text message from the school was the first indication that something had gone horribly wrong at the rental house near campus on Nov. 13, 2022. Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, Kaylee Goncalves and Ethan Chapin were found stabbed to death in the Moscow, Idaho home on King Road. The killer, Bryan Kohberger, pleaded guilty to the crimes earlier this month and is expected to be sentenced to four consecutive life sentences. But there are still more questions than answers in the disturbing case. Here are some things to know for Kohberger's sentencing hearing on Wednesday. A plea deal was reached before a trial Bryan Kohberger, 30, was arrested roughly six weeks after the killings and charged with four counts of first-degree murder. He initially exercised his constitutional right to remain silent when asked to enter a plea, so a judge entered a not-guilty plea on his behalf. Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson announced early on that he would seek the death penalty if Kohberger was convicted. Investigators said Kohberger's DNA was found on a knife sheath at the home, surveillance video showed a car matching Kohberger's nearby at the time of the killings, and cell phone data showed him near the house multiple times before the attack. Kohberger's defense attorneys got the trial moved to Boise after expressing concerns that the court wouldn't be able to find enough unbiased jurors in the rural farming community of Moscow. But they were unsuccessful in their efforts to get the death penalty taken off the table, and they weren't able to prevent critical evidence like the DNA from being admitted in trial. Both sides reached a plea deal earlier this month. In exchange for Kohberger admitting guilt and waiving his right to appeal, prosecutors agreed not to seek his execution. Instead, both sides agreed to recommend that he serve four consecutive life sentences without parole for the killings. During the plea hearing on July 2, Judge Steven Hippler explained that he doesn't have much leeway when it comes to plea deals like this one. The court can't require a prosecutor to seek the death penalty, and a judge's primary role in plea hearings is to determine if the defendant is making the plea freely, voluntarily and intelligently. Hippler determined that was the case for Kohberger, and accepted his guilty plea. The victim's families were split on how they felt about the plea deal. Kohberger's motive and many other details are unknown Investigators have not revealed what they think may have motivated Kohberger's actions. At the time of the killings, Kohberger was a criminal justice graduate student at Washington State University, and Thompson has said he used his knowledge about forensic investigations to attempt to cover his tracks by deep cleaning his vehicle after the crime. Police say Kohberger's Amazon purchase history shows he bought a military-style knife as well as the knife sheath found at the home. But the knife itself was never found. The case drew widespread interest and judges feared the publicity could harm Kohberger's right to a fair trial. A sweeping gag order was imposed and hundreds of court documents were sealed from public view. After Kohberger pleaded guilty, Hippler agreed to lift the gag order. The documents will be unsealed after the sentencing hearing but that will take time. It's not clear how many answers they might contain. Kohberger can speak at sentencing or refuse The families and surviving roommates of the victims will have the opportunity during the sentencing hearing to describe the damage the killings have done to them. Because there are so many of them, the hearing could stretch into Thursday. Kohberger will also have the opportunity to speak — a process called the 'right of allocution.' Defendants might use their statement to express remorse, ask for mercy, or to say whatever else they think the court should hear before sentencing. But because the U.S. Constitution's 5th Amendment guarantee of the right to remain silent remains in effect during sentencing hearings, they also might choose not to speak at all. Kohberger doesn't have to say anything — and the judge can't force him to. Many, including President Donald Trump, have urged the judge to somehow make Kohberger explain himself. 'I hope the Judge makes Kohberger, at a minimum, explain why he did these horrible murders,' Trump wrote online on Monday. 'There are no explanations, there is no NOTHING.' Foundations honor Kaylee, Maddie, Xana and Ethan Friends and family members have sought to commemorate the victims' lives by raising money for scholarships and other initiatives. Ethan's Smile Foundation, started by Chapin's family, honors his 'love of life, people, and new adventures by providing scholarships that enable others to follow their dreams,' its website says. The Made With Kindness Foundation honors the legacy of Mogen, Goncalves, and Kernodle through scholarships, wellness support and empowerment initiatives. 'Our mission is to inspire and uplift the next generation, turning their dreams into realities in a world that values compassion and community,' its website says. The University of Idaho built the Vandal Healing Garden and Memorial in memory of all students who passed away while enrolled at the school.
The Independent
22 minutes ago
- The Independent
‘Witch Hunt': Trump's new label for Epstein files probe as he spirals over ‘Barack Hussein Obama' in Oval Office rant
Donald Trump hastily changed the subject to his years-long bid to seek revenge against Barack Obama as he was questioned about the Jeffrey Epstein files during a meeting Monday with the president of the Philipines at the White House. The U.S. president accused his predecessor of 'sedacious [sic]' behavior and ranted about an imaginary 'coup' after Ed O'Keefe of CBS News asked him about the Justice Department reaching out to attorneys for Ghislaine Maxwell to request a new interview about Epstein and the sex trafficking ring for which her involvement earned the socialite a 20-year prison sentence in 2022. 'I don't know about it, but I think it's something that would be, sounds appropriate to do,' the president said, before telling O'Keefe: 'It's sort of a witch hunt, the continuation of the witch hunt.' He then said that 'the witch hunt you should be talking about' was how Tulsi Gabbard, his director of national intelligence, supposedly 'caught President Obama absolutely cold'. Trump proceeded to rant for several minutes about his long-debunked claims that Barack Obama was engaged in an illegal effort to spy on his campaign, overturn the 2016 election, and spread false information about links between his first campaign for office and Russia. He previously appointed John Durham, a special prosecutor, to review the origins of that FBI investigation into his 2016 campaign for any criminal behavior in 2019; the probe came up with nothing against Obama or others in his administration, and found no evidence of a 'Deep State' conspiracy against Trump.
