'Dateline NBC’: Who killed Nada Huranieh? Daughter Aya Altantawi fights for mother’s sinister honor killing case
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: In a case that shocked the nation, 'Dateline NBC's new episode investigates the tragic murder of Nada Huranieh, a lively mother cut short for what prosecutors called an "honor killing." The accused? Her own son, Muhammed Altantawi, believed his mother had brought dishonour to the family by embracing a lifestyle he considered one that went against religious beliefs.
However, as the case finally reached the courts, it was no one other than Muhammed's sister, Aya Altantawi, who courageously took the step to fill in the vacuum of a long, barren mutual hatred in the family; now, she testifies against her brother too. The struggle for justice carried by Aya has never rested for the honor of her memory and for exposing the wrong motives behind such a disgusting crime.
Who was Nada Huranieh?
Nada Huranieh was a 35-year-old fitness trainer from Farmington Hills. At the time of her death, she was in the process of rebuilding her life after a difficult divorce. Nada lived with her three children, one of whom, her son Muhammad, was accused of her murder. Before her passing, Nada had been experiencing stress due to conflicts with her children and strained relations with her ex-husband. She was found dead on August 9, 2017, the cause being determined as asphyxia and smothering. Her son was subsequently accused of her murder.
Why did Nada Huranieh file for divorce from her husband Bassel Altantawi?
The couple had applied for divorce in March 2016. Nada Huranieh explained that Bassel Altantawi was her husband whom she could never see eye to eye with. Some of the lifestyle and faith differences existing between them were that Bassel applied a more conservative manner towards their faith while Nada did not entirely concur with that. Nada was finding her way once more to independence, becoming a fitness trainer, and wearing fashionable clothes; all those were opposing values against those that were held by Bassel.
Their marriage remained tense and stressful as time went on, and all these factors, with other problems in her marriage, forced Nada to want a divorce. She needed to start anew and give her children an entirely different atmosphere to live in, but the separation was even more of a fight between the family, especially between her and Muhammad, who stood on his father's side during the separation.
Nada Huranieh’s son Muhammed Altantawi thought his mother was a ‘bad Muslim’
According to Muhammad Altantawi, he used to consider his mother, Nada Huranieh, as a "bad Muslim" due to their disagreement over their belief in religion and lifestyle. Muhammad was more conservative because he was influenced by his father, Bassel Altantawi, and, like his father, they believed in the strict way of Islam. Nada was adopted to a modern lifestyle after the family split.
She was exercising as a trainer, wearing leggings and T-shirts, regaining independence that Muhammad saw as contrary to their faith. To him, his mother was not practicing Islam according to the ways he believed she should be. He felt she wasn't being a good Muslim woman and based this thinking on her appearance and independence. This led to an enormous fight between them because Muhammad felt that his mother was not observing the customs of their family and its religious practices. This increasing conflict, coupled with divorce and their differences in beliefs, placed a severe strain on their relationship until she tragically died at the end.
Aya Altantawi testified against her brother Muhammed Altantawi during trials
Aya Altantawi, Muhammad's younger sister, testified against Muhammad regarding the killing of their mother, Nada Huranieh. She is a student at Michigan State University and was testifying and recounting the struggles her family had undergone, including the tension that occurred between her brother and her mother.
Aya said she and her brother mostly sided with his father when their parents divorced. Aya explained how Muhammad believed their mother was taking money from their father and taking the house. This made him feel resentful towards her. Aya then continued that, according to Muhammad, their mother was not a "good Muslim," and since she and the children were all left with the responsibility of taking care of the house after the father deserted them, he was now the "man of the house" and that she should respect his authority. In her emotion-laced testimony, Aya described the day she found her mother's body outside their house.
She told the court that she had to search for her mother inside the house because she could not locate her. She testified that she saw her mother lying on the patio by a window on the second floor of their house. Additionally, she testified that when she woke Muhammad on that particular morning, he was normally on time to take his shower, but this time, he was "dazed" as if in a trance. She had testified in court that she forgave her brother for all he and the family had gone through.
How did Muhammed Altantawi kill Nada Huranieh?
As his indictment alleges, Muhammad Altantawi strangled his mother, Nada Huranieh, by pushing her out of a window on the second floor of their home in Farmington Hills. Allegations by prosecutors say that on the morning of August 21, 2017, Muhammad staged the scene to make it appear as though his mother had been merely accidentally pushed off a ladder on which she was to clean windows.
The autopsy revealed that Nada was asphyxiated and smothered, indicating that she was strangled before falling out of the window. Prosecutors believe Muhammad smothered her to death, possibly using her gold necklace, which was found tightly wrapped around her neck. They suspect that he then pushed her out of the window to make it appear like an accident.
Muhammad and his sister, Aya, discovered his mom's body on the patio below the window, and Aya testified that Muhammad was weird when he came that morning. He was dazed and quiet, the most obvious thing that raised suspicion. In light of this circumstantial evidence, the prosecution argued that Muhammad had a fight with his mom and killed her, trying to cover it up as a fall.
What sentence was announced to Muhammed Altantawi?
In 2017, Muhammed Altantawi was convicted of killing his mother, Nada Huranieh. This landed him a jail term of 35 to 60 years. During the sentencing, his sister, Aya Altantawi, testified against him, expressing deep anger and resentment, stating that she would not attend his funeral if he died and would rather celebrate his absence.
