The mother of H.A., a Syrian woman born in 2004, filed a complaint in Lebanon against A.M. for the alleged murder and torture of her daughter, the Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation reported on Friday.
A.M., born in 1996, had a criminal record for drug offenses, theft, assault, and battery, prior to the latest charge, according to the report.
The Baabda Judicial Detachment of the Judicial Police Unit arrested A.M. during an ambush in the Ouzai area after weeks of surveillance operations. He had reportedly repeatedly attempted to evade capture and had spent a month in hiding, living in a tent on the Sidon beach.
A.M. denied during the interrogation that he deliberately killed his wife, instead claiming H.A. was cooking at home when boiling oil spilled on her, and she died as a result of the wounds.
The Accidents Bureau of the Judicial Police Unit found that A.M.’s statements were not in alignment with the facts established during the examination of the crime scene.
Evidence in the Lebanese femicide case
During the examination of the crime scene, police found that the gas cylinder and its mounting location were empty, and the ground was free of any oil or liquid spills, which would suggest H.A. did not die as a result of a spillage incident.
Questioning of A.M.’s 10 and 11-year-old sons also found the boys had been sent away on the day of the woman’s death.
Both sons told police their father routinely abused their mother, A.M.’s ex-wife, and H.A. They claimed their father stripped the women and used electrical wires and other instruments to hurt the women in front of them.
The boys claimed A.M. had been known to gag H.A., and burn her with hot water or oil, pierce her body with charcoal tongs, burn her face with embers, and electrocute her.
A.M.’s father, S.M., told police his son had been having issues with his wife, and he had been angry after discovering she contacted her ex-husband.
S.M. said that after the initial fight, his son hit H.A., and he took her phone away, and then, in a later argument, burned her with oil and struck her in the face to silence her. H.A. was said to have lost consciousness after being struck and fell to the ground.
A.M. took H.A. to the hospital after two days, S.M. said.
Two of A.M.’s ex-wives confirmed to police they had formerly been abused by him.