Saw an Associated Press report this morning noting that Faleh Al-Maleki, the Iraqi native accused in the October 2009 so-called "honor killing" of his daughter Noor may be plea bargaining on the cusp of his scheduled trial.
Al-Maleki's murder trial is set to start later this month, but the AP reports here that closed-door plea negotiations the Maricopa County Superior Court suggest an 11th-hour deal may be near.
We wrote an extended piece on this terrible and tragic case last year, a story that in part described how Al-Maleki intentionally ran over his 20-year-old daughter and her boyfriend's mother in a Peoria parking lot. Click here to read our story, "Honor Thy Father."
The bizarre motive, according to Al-Maleki's own statements to Peoria police detectives?
Noor (her name translates as "light of God") allegedly was "disrespecting" her family by co-habitating with her boyfriend and otherwise "dishonoring" her Iraqi-born parents.
Therefore, Mr. Al-Maleki was obliged to execute an "honor killing," an oxymoronic phrase if ever there was one.
The young woman died two weeks after Al-Maleki ran her over. The other victim was seriously injured, but survived.
Al-Maleki fled after the assaults, but later was nabbed in London and extradited to the States, where he made self-incriminating statements to authorities.
The murder case made international news.
Prosecutors aren't seeking the death penalty in this case, but it would shock us if they have offered anything less in the plea negotiations than what will amount to life in prison to the 48-year-old Glendale man.
We'll let you know what happens, plea bargain-wise.
