The jury has rendered its verdict in the high-profile murder case of former Glendale resident Faleh Almaleki, accused in the so-called "honor killing" of his oldest child, 20-year-old Noor.
Guilty of second-degree murder in the October 2009 hit-and-run in a Peoria parking lot.
Guilty of aggravated assault--Almaleki also ran down Amal Khalaf, a former family friend, in the midday incident that stirred outrage around the globe.
Guilty of two counts of leaving the scene of an injury "accident,"
Not guilty of first-degree murder or attempted first-degree murder.
The verdict is something of a minor victory for Almaleki's court-appointed attorneys, who did not present a defense (except for an opening statement and a closing argument), in that prosecutors sought a first-degree conviction.
But the sentencing range available to Superior Court Judge Roland Steinle is about the same with a 2nd-degree conviction as it would have been with first-degree--and it is likely that the 50-year-old Iraqi-born truck driver will serve the rest of his days behind bars.
