Monday, July 26, 2010

"Honor killer" who murdered wife over child custody sent back to death row (Cleveland, Ohio)

From the Creeping Sharia blog.

Notice that dad ABDUL AWKWAL not only murdered his "estranged" wife and brother-in-law, but did so just before a meeting at the family conciliation offices of the Domestic Relations Court, where they were to discuss--what else?--CHILD CUSTODY. This was in 1992. Just recently, Daddy's conviction was upheld by the Court of Appeals. So his death sentence still stands.

Wonder what ever happened to the poor child who was left motherless by this abusive father?

We need to stop kowtowing to these violent dads and give the protective mother custody. End of story. You think we would have learned this in 18 years, but apparently not. The authorities need to stop creating settings and "meetings" where murderous thugs like Awkwal can entrap and kill innocent people.

http://creepingsharia.wordpress.com/2010/07/24/cleveland-honor-killer-sent-back-to-death-row/

Cleveland ‘honor killer’ sent back to death row
Posted on July 24, 2010 by creeping

No discussion about honor killing, possibly because this occurred in 1992, but he killed his wife and her brother after she filed for divorce.

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Abdul Awkal is back on death row for killing his estranged wife and brother-in-law inside Lakeside Courthouse in Cleveland.

A three-member panel of appellate judges overturned the 51-year-old former Cleveland resident’s two murder convictions in March 2009, but the full 6th Circuit Court of Appeals decided otherwise Thursday.

The judges decided 10-4 to uphold a lower court ruling that denied Awkal’s claim that he received ineffective counsel and should be retried or freed.

Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Bill Mason applauded the ruling.

“His execution is long overdue,” Mason said. “He shook the foundation of the legal system and I am pleased an overwhelming majority of the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals agreed that Awkal’s death sentence should be affirmed. However, I am certain this murderer will continue his legal maneuvering to delay his walk to the death chamber.”

“There is no dispute that Awkal shot and killed his estranged wife and brother-in-law,” wrote Judge Ronald Gilman for the majority. “The trial instead focused on whether he was legally insane at the time of the crime, and the evidence overwhelmingly indicates that he was not.”

Awkal shot Latife Awkal and her brother, Mahmoud Abdul-Aziz, in 1992 before a meeting in the family conciliation services office of the Domestic Relations Court on Lakeside Aveneue.

Awkal, 51, had come to the Untied States from Lebanaon when he was 24, settling in Detroit and then the Cleveland area. His marriage to Latife was troubled form the start. Latife and her family felt Awkal was not a good Muslim.

Latife filed for divorce after learning her husband gave her a venereal disease. Awkal became distraught.

The shooting occurred prior to a meeting over custody of their child. Awkal claimed he planned to kill himself and that he tried to hug his baby when his brother-in-law interfered.

Distraught or humiliated, infuriated, dishonored?