A father has been charged with capital murder after his two autistic sons tragically drowned when hedrove his family offa Port of Los Angeles pier in California four years ago.
On April 9, 2015, Ali Elmezayen was driving with his wife and their sons — 13-year-old Elhassan and 8-year-old Abdelkrim — in San Pedro when he plunged into the water.
While at the time Ali said it was an accident, following an investigation, Ali was charged with two counts of murder and one count of attempted murder, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Officerevealed in a statement.
Ali also faces “special circumstance allegations of multiple murders” as it is believed the killings were carried out for “financial gain,” according to the statement.
Just before the incident, Ali had purchased several accidental death insurance polices worth more than $6 million on himself, his wife and their children, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California said in arelease.
Unable to swim, his wife Rabib Diab, did her best to stay afloat as she frantically sought help for her children, screaming, “My kids, my kids!” the Associated Press reported.
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But the two boys, who were autistic, were unable to escape and drowned, the release states. According to the AP and CBS, the children were strapped into child seats.
The couple’s third son was away at camp, according to the AP.
Ali told investigators he may have accidentally hit the accelerator instead of the brake, the AP reported. He alsocited medicationhe had taken for a blood condition two days earlier,Newsweekreported.
But federal prosecutors allege he spent several years preparing to set his deadly plan in motion.
“This case alleges a calculated and cold-hearted scheme to profit off the deaths of two helpless children,” U.S. Attorney Nick Hanna said in the release.
After the children died, Ali collected more than $260,000 in insurance proceeds from two insurance companies on the accidental death insurance policies he had taken out on the children’s lives in 2012 and 2013, according to the release.
At this time, Ali is in federal custody on insurance fraud charges, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced.
“Once that case is completed, Ali will be tried on the murder charges.”
If convicted, Ali faces a possible maximum sentence of life in state prison without the possibility of parole or death. A lawyer for Ali could not immediately be identified.
source: people.com
