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07-18-2023, 10:21 AM
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Two Charged in Kirkland Stabbing Death
Darwin Garcia Franco, about 40, was stabbed to death and Nelida Zuniga was seriously wounded in a Kirkland, Washington, home on May 31, 2019, in an attack that led to murder-related charges against Saif Raad Al-Obaidi and Franco's wife, Sahar Osama Fadaak. Franco, also reported as Darwin Avid Garcia Franco, was a Kirkland contractor and father who lived with Fadaak and their young son on the upper floor of a split-level home. Fadaak, also styled Fadaak Sahar Osama A, was a Saudi national then about 41 who kept a separate apartment in Bellevue. Al-Obaidi, also Al Obaidi, was then in his mid-30s and lived in Redmond. Prosecutors described him as Franco's business associate and Fadaak's romantic partner from about January-May 2019. Fadaak and Al-Obaidi met at her Bellevue apartment. Prosecutors alleged Al-Obaidi entered the residence in the 12900 block of 131st Avenue Northeast at about 2:00 a.m. and attacked Franco as he slept, stabbing him about 30 times. Franco died at the scene. Zuniga, who lived downstairs with children, heard the commotion and tried to pull Al-Obaidi off Franco. She was stabbed about 18 times and survived. Children in the home were not physically injured and called 911. No signs of forced entry were reported. Prosecutors alleged Fadaak was present and remained silent during the attack a short distance away, then spoke briefly with Al-Obaidi before he left. He later called her. Charging papers and the Singapore extradition judgment alleged Fadaak began seeking life insurance on May 22, 2019, that would pay the maximum if Franco died. She wanted immediate coverage and did not want him to undergo a physical exam that could lower the premium. On May 28, she applied for about $250,000 in coverage, naming herself and their son as beneficiaries. She was told on May 29 that Franco could not be insured because he was not a U.S. citizen, and the policy did not issue. Affidavits cited phone records, including deleted call logs, photos of Fadaak and Al-Obaidi together, including on her birthday while Franco was out of town, and the insurance timeline. On September 4, 2019, Fadaak boarded a one-way flight to the UAE with their son, who was about 2 at the time. A $5 million arrest warrant was issued, but the UAE had no U.S. extradition treaty. She was found and arrested at the Park Royal Hotel on Beach Road in Singapore on September 25, 2022. The U.S. submitted a formal extradition request on November 22, 2022. In January 2023, District Judge Chee Min Ping found the case on first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder strong enough to commit Fadaak for extradition pending the Law Minister's surrender order. The evidence included the autopsy, phone records, photos, insurance steps and lack of forced entry. Al-Obaidi was charged in King County Superior Court, case 19-1-04059-5 SEA, with first-degree premeditated murder of Franco and first-degree attempted murder of Zuniga, with deadly-weapon allegations. He pleaded not guilty in June 2019 and was held without bail. The charges were later amended, with the docket noting an amendment around March 28, 2022, and a trial set for late 2020 was continued. Widely available reporting through 2023 does not clearly establish a final jury verdict or sentence. Fadaak was charged in King County in October 2020 with premeditated first-degree murder and first-degree conspiracy to commit murder. No verdict or sentence has been publicly reported for Fadaak since the January 2023 extradition order. The video is about 49 minutes of police interview-room footage. It presents the interview itself without narration or a presenter.
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