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Who is James Hachem? Man, 36, found guilty of killing ex-GF in rage after she kissed another man

Hachem faces up to 25 years in prison without the possibility of parole if Baker's body is not found
UPDATED JUL 28, 2022
A jury has found James Hachem (L) guilty of murdering ex-girlfriend Samah Baker (R) (Screenshot from 9 News Australia/YouTube)
A jury has found James Hachem (L) guilty of murdering ex-girlfriend Samah Baker (R) (Screenshot from 9 News Australia/YouTube)

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA: James Hachem, 36, was found guilty on Tuesday, July 26, 2022, of killing his ex-girlfriend Samah Baker, 30, in January 2019. Baker, a TAFE employee, who had an "intermittent intimate relationship" with him, as described by the prosecution, had spent the majority of her final two days with him.

Despite attempts to hide his actions with fake texts and a long list of lies, Hachem was found guilty of killing her. According to testimony given in court, Hachem, of Hurstville Grove, killed Baker inside her apartment on January 4, 2019, at around 7 am. He allegedly gained entry to her home by calling her from a nearby building and pretending his parents had been in an accident. After killing her, Hachem drove around Sydney while carrying his ex-girlfriend's body in the trunk of his vehicle.

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The jury ultimately decided that despite Hachem's insistence that he was innocent and his theory that Baker had killed herself, he was guilty as he was motivated by jealousy and rage after witnessing Baker kiss another man.

In an effort to confuse detectives, Hachem had told a long list of lies to the police and sent texts to the phone of his deceased partner, one of which read, "You must be with your boyfriend and you can't text. It's all good." A text read, "Last night was so good, slept like a baby."

According to testimony given in court, Hachem made a stop at Hurstville Westfield and parked there before visiting a staffing firm. An employee of the MTC recruitment agency testified in court, "He looked down a lot, didn't want to speak much, looked tired, and kept to himself." Then, he entered the Coles supermarket and made cash purchases of heavy-duty gloves, facial wipes, and trash bags.

He admitted to using some of the wipes to clean up after masturbating and using the remaining supplies to clean kitchen appliances.  Hachem claimed that he might have driven to a brothel later that day. He claimed that he frequently visited brothels. He claimed that he frequently drove, sometimes stopping to sleep in his car because it was more convenient than doing so at home.

Hachem spent three and a half hours between January 4 and January 5 in a remote truck stop 16 kilometers south of Goulburn, according to data from his phone. Two shallow holes that had been turned over were discovered in the area, but with no body.

Police also discovered that Hachem had accessed and reactivated Baker's Facebook account, which had been dormant for ten years. Hachem had visited a website with a reference to "How to change a Facebook password," according to his search history.

The prosecution claimed during the trial that Hachem had opened Baker's Facebook account again in order to "make it appear as though Baker was still alive." 

The location of Baker's body is still unknown. The defense attorney for Hachem argued that the jury could not rule out suicide in his closing remarks. Hachem is now awaiting judgment. He faces up to 25 years in prison without the possibility of parole if Baker's body is not found.

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