Actress Nargis Fakhri’s sister, Aliya, has been arrested and indicted in the US on murder in the first degree and related charges for “deliberately setting a deadly fire” in a home’s garage on November 2, which killed her ex-boyfriend and his female friend in New York City’s borough of Queens.
According to reports, Aliya arrived at the two-story detached garage at about 6.20 a.m. on November 2 and yelled, “You’re all going to die today,” before setting the fire that turned into a “raging inferno” in which Edward Jacobs (35) and Anastasia Ettienne (33) died.
The Queen’s district attorney’s office said that Aliya Fakhri “allegedly set the fire near the entrance of the building, trapping the two inside, with no exit”.
The victims died from smoke inhalation and thermal injuries.
After Aliya was arrested and indicted for the murder of her ex-boyfriend and his friend, their mother told the media that her daughter was incapable of such a crime.
”I don’t think, she would be killing someone. She was a person caring for everybody. She tried to help everybody.” The mother also revealed that Aliya was struggling with an addiction to opioids.
Queens district attorney said that Aliya Fakhri (43) “maliciously ended the lives of two people…”
According to prosecutors, Anastasia Ettienne realized, there was a fire and went downstairs but then returned upstairs, where Edward Jacobs was sleeping, to try and save him but perished along with him.
Aliya was indicted by a grand jury on four counts of murder in the first, four counts of murder in the second, and one count each of arson in the first degree and arson in the second degree.
She faces a potential maximum of life in prison if convicted of the top charge. She is supposed to return to court on December 9.
Jacobs’ mother said, her son had broken up with Aliya Fakhri about a year ago but she was still trying to get back together. “Like any other person being rejected, he was letting her know like ‘Yo, I’m done with you. Get away from me.”
“But,” she added, “Aliya wasn’t accepting the rejection.” The relationship between the victims, according to Jacobs’ mother, was platonic.
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