[ Golden Gater Online - September 16, 1997 ]
Funeral services were held Monday for an SF State student who was shot to death while working in San Jose on Saturday. Friends said the suspect being sought by police was an ex-boyfriend who had threatened to kill her the day before.
Farsima Sepehri-Fard was shot three times in the face while working as a teller at Bank of America inside of a Lucky's supermarket. After witnesses saw Sepehri-Fard killed, the gunman shot a customer who called 911, San Jose police said.
The customer, 39-year-old Robert Porcari, was released from Valley Medical Center Monday after being treated for gunshot wounds in the chin and shoulder, according to police.
Police named the homicide suspect as 32-year-old Hikmat Mouchaourab, a San Jose man who was dating Seperhi-Fard until she ended their relationship last week after he threatened her, friends said.
Police are conducting a nationwide manhunt for Mouchaourab, who they said fled the scene in a 1980s red Chevrolet Corsica. San Jose police said the gun was never recovered, so Mouchaourab is considered armed and extremely dangerous, and could be heading for Canada.
Mouchaourab frequented SF State to visit Sepehri-Fard, said friends who did not want their names used for fear of retaliation by Mouchaourab. Students interviewed knew Sepehri-Fard through their membership to the Persian Student Organization, which she was involved with at SF State.
Friends said he went from nice to threatening during the course of their two-month relationship, but they never believed he would kill her.
"He was fine until they broke up," said a female friend of the victim, who was about to leave with 20 students to attend Sepehri-Fard's funeral in Los Gatos.
After the break-up last week, however, Mouchaourab talked about dying with Sepehri-Fard and threatened her on Wednesday and Friday, said a female friend.
"We didn't ever think it was going to get to this point," said a male friend who is an officer of the 60-member Persian Student Organization.
San Jose police said no complaints had been filed by Sepehri-Fard with regard to her relationship with Mouchaourab, but officer John Curillo said he thought she tried to obtain a restraining order from the SF State University Police Department or state police.
But UPD spokeswoman Amalia Borja said no reports or complaints had been filed by Sepehri-Fard with her department.
Friends attending the funeral described Sepehri-Fard as a kind, independent young woman.
"She was a very good-hearted person, very honest and straightforward," said one friend.
Curillo expressed concern that police had not yet caught the suspect, whom he called "unpredictable."