[ Golden Gater Online - October 2, 1997 ]
Leslie Fulbright
Staff writer
The suspect in the killing of SF State student Farsima Sepehri-Fard was arraigned Tuesday in a San Jose courtroom.
Hikmat Mouchaourab, 32, was charged with murder, attempted murder, first degree burglary and grand theft after he was extradited to San Jose from Texas on Sept. 25, according to Matt Braker, an assistant at the district attorney's office.
The court process will now begin but it could take months before a preliminary hearing is set, said Ernesto Alcantar, who has led the murder investigation. The time line depends on the defendant, who can choose to have a speedy trial or prolong it by waiving that right.
Tuesday at 2 p.m., the suspect will formally enter his plea and identify his counsel.
Mouchaourab is suspected of killing his ex-girlfriend, Sepehri-Fard, a 24-year-old SF State biology major who was shot to death Sept.14 while working as a bank teller inside a Lucky's store in San Jose. Friends said Mouchaourab threatened her after she broke up with him the week before her death. She was supposed to get a restraining order the day she was shot, according to friends of the victim.
Police said Mouchaourab broke into a house and stole the gun allegedly used to kill Sepehri-Fard and injure another man who tried to call 911. After the shooting, Mouchaourab fled, traveling from Los Angeles to Miami and then to Texas and down to Mexico. He was caught by immigration officials last week at the Mexico border trying to cross back into Texas.
It is not yet clear whether the district attorney will seek life without parole or the death penalty. Police are confident that the case will be supported by strong witness testimony because the shooting occurred in the middle of the afternoon in a crowded supermarket. Meanwhile, Mouchaourab is being held without bail in San Jose.
But the family doesn't believe that the death penalty will do justice, according to Amin Allali, a friend of the family and the victim. "They would rather see him in prison thinking about what he did for the rest of his life."
"He (Sepehri-Fard's father) is a very old, religious man. He doesn't want to put another family through the same pain that he is experiencing," said Sheida Malek, a friend of the victim and member of the Persian Student Organization.
While the father, so far, is not active in the pursuit to punish the suspect, the brother and two sisters of Sepehri-Fard were active in the chase and plan to stay involved throughout the trial, according to Malek.
"The more information (Sepehri-Fard's father) learns, the more active he gets," Malek said.
Friends attributed the father's opposition to punishment by execution by explaining the family's history. The Fard family came to California to escape war in Iran, Allali said. They wanted to live a more peaceful life. They have seen a lot of killing in their lifetimes and wanted it to end here.
"The killing has to stop somewhere," Allali said . "More killing would just add more misery. God gave us two powerful tools for survival, remembering and forgetting."
The father, according to Allali, is a very peaceful and wonderful man. As friends gathered in his house the afternoon after the killing, he acted politely as a host and served tea as he quietly wept.
The 73-year-old father expressed grief and said he didn't have much time left. Friends said Sepehri-Fard's father was distraught by the idea that the end of his life will be spent watching his family mourn for Farsima.
Friends gathered Wednesday afternoon at the meeting of the Persian Student Organization and discussed their relief that the suspect is in custody. "It is so much easier to deal with now that there is a sense of closure," said Farnoosh Ebadat, a close friend of the victim.
[ Golden Gater - October 02, 1997 ]