Houston “honor killings" defendant calls prosecutors ‘devils,’ ‘evil’ outside murder trial
July 25, 2018
"A Jordanian immigrant on trial for allegedly plotting two “honor killings” shouted that prosecutors in his case are “devils” and “evil” as he was led from the courtroom late Tuesday, after cross-examination of his son who attempted to provide him with an alibi for one of the slayings.
Earlier, several jurors in the death penalty trial of Ali Mahwood-Awad Irsan, 60, expressed fear and concern to the judge for their safety and that of special prosecutors who had earlier cross-examined several of the accused man’s adult children. After the jurors shared their fears with state District Judge Jan Krocker, she issued an unusual warning to both prosectors and the defense team about the concerns jurors raised over Irsan’s emotional
Irsan’s emotional response to courtroom testimony continued after the jury, attorneys and judge had departed the courtroom, and while he was being led in handcuffs through the courtroom to a holding cell.
“Those prosecutors are devils,” he told a bailiff in a raised voice. “They want my life. I need to defend myself. The prosecutors are evil.”...
After testimony ended Tuesday, a Harris County Sheriff’s bailiff told the judge in open court that four jurors told him they intimidated by Irsan staring down prosecutor Marie Primm, and then making a hand gesture as though he was snapping a bundle of pencils.
“She had never seen that look of nastiness and was scared,” the bailiff, as he told the judge about one of the juror’s words.
Krocker alerted the special prosecutors including Primm, Anna Emmons and Jon Stephenson of the concerns. The judge denied a motion for a new trial from defense attorneys Allen Tanner and Rudy Duarte.
The commotion overshadowed dramatic testimony from Irsan’s 22-year-old son that his father could not have committed a murder on January 15, 2012, because his family was driving him to a pharmacy. The son said he was going through opioid withdrawals.
“I just remember the flashlight,” Niless Irsan told the jury about a traffic stop on the night in question....
...when Primm cross-examined him about taped jail conversations he had with his father, she was able to stir Ali Irsan’s ire.
“Do you remember saying, ‘I’m going to burn the whole country down if I have to,’ to which your father responded, ‘Please do,’” Primm asked.
“If you say it happened,” Niles Irsan said.
Earlier in the day, prosecutors dredged up a variety of family secrets as three of Irsan’s sons testified.
The prosecution said he disciplined his 12 children by tying them to a board then beating them and hitting them in the head with his cane. They also Irsan used his cane to whip a daughter who had cerebral palsy.
His sons, called as defense witnesses, strongly denied the allegations against their father.
“You are aware that your father tied his children to a board and beat them, correct?” asked Primm.
“Incorrect,” said Irsan’s 20-year-old son, Nader.
The 20-year-old gave contentious testimony for about two hours trying to shift blame for Beavers’ death to his mother and older brother, Nasim Irsan.
In his testimony, Nader Irsan said that his brother Nasim confessed to shooting Beavers.
“He admitted that he killed, and I quote, ‘the Beavers guy,’” Nader Irsan told the jury. “I told him to stop talking.”
The strategy emerging from the defense seems aimed at shifting the blame from Irsan to his son Nasim, and his wife, Shmou Alrawabdeh, for killing Beavers and Bagherzadeh....
... the defense called Nader Irsan, 20, Nadim Irsan, 18, and Niles Irsan, 22, to the witness stand as part of an effort to show that their sister Nesreen, whose husband and best friend were killed, was a sadistic disciplinarian who abused her younger siblings.
Niles testified that Nesreen beat him several times a times and also tortured him.
“I had vinegar injected into my femoral artery,” Niles Irsan said. “They tried to inject air, an air bubble, into my arteries to form an embolism. I had gas poured on me and was set on fire. My nose was broken. I was tied up and beaten. I was stabbed a few times.”
He gave few details about the allegations while being questioned by defense attorney Allen Tanner, but later said it was just his hand that was burned with gasoline...."
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