MURDERER USED VICTIM’S PHONE TO TAUNT FAMILY
THE killer of a Cardiff student threatened to murder other people as he taunted police and his victim’s family while on the run.
American businessman Sammy Almahri “tormented” the family of aspiring architect Nadine Aburas by calling them using the 28-year-old’s phone in the days after he fatally strangled her.
New Yorker Almahri, 46, fled to Tanzania after murdering Nadine – with whom he was in a long-distance relationship after meeting her online – but called police and his victim’s family from overseas.
Nadine’s sister Aneesa – speaking to S4C – said: “The reality was a nightmare. He would call us using Nadine’s phone and it was so horrible – as though murdering my sister wasn’t enough for him, he had to torment us further.”
Aneesa and her family have given an emotional interview to the broadcaster for true crime series Y Ditectif, which will air tonight.
The programme also sees South Wales Police share their phone negotiations with killer Almahri while he was on the run following the killing at the Future Inns hotel in Cardiff Bay on New Year’s Eve 2014.
Detective Chief Inspector Gareth Morgan, senior investigating officer in the case, took calls from their prime suspect while Almahri was a fugitive.
The officer said: “Sammy Almahri played a game from the start – negotiations showed that.
“He had other women on the line, made threats to kill other people, teased and taunted us really. He was irrational and it was clear to me he was lying.”
Almahri met Nadine on internet dating site MuslimMatch.com in 2012.
They began a relationship which saw them meet up in both Wales and America. But Nadine’s family explained how what seemed at first like an exciting online romance soon took a darker turn.
Nadine’s mother Andrea said: “He was very demanding. He became suddenly a big burden with anger issues and then I thought, ‘There is something not right here’ and it started becoming quite scary.”
They also spoke about Nadine’s trip to Almahri’s home in New York during the summer of 2014, which led to her making a police complaint alleging he had raped and abused her.
“He attacked her, violated her, and she suffered a horrific time which she tried to keep from us when she returned,” said Andrea.
At the time Nadine decided not to proceed with her allegation but told family members Almahri was threatening to share indecent pictures of her online.
In the wake of the killing, after which Almahri left the hotel in his victim’s car and travelled to Heathrow Airport before flying to Qatar, South Wales Police sent detectives to Tanzania to find him.
On January 19, 2015, Almahri was caught and arrested by local police.
Following his extradition, he pleaded guilty to murder at Cardiff Crown Court and in November 2016 was sentenced to life imprisonment, with a judge setting the minimum term he must serve at 17 years.
“I think it was a major coup to capture Sammy Almahri so quickly and extraditing him from Tanzania – it’s the first time this had ever been done. The international element was certainly unique,” said DCI Gareth Morgan.
But Nadine’s family said they were disappointed not to have a full trial, adding that they wanted the world to know the American’s true character.
Andrea added: “I have anger, sadness – I have deep feelings a mother should never have to feel.
“When a child is taken so violently from her, it is a sentence I feel I will have to live through each and every day.
“He has changed my life forever.”
Y Ditectif is broadcast on S4C at 9.30pm tonight.