Los Angeles (AP) – Members of a Los Angeles family praised their slain mother and brother as police investigate whether their father killed both.
Family members said in a statement that their mother, Rabihah Issa, defended them from domestic abuse and they were confident their adult brother, Amier Issa, would not have harmed her.
“We loved our mother who defended us all and sacrificed everything to protect her children from domestic abuse,” said the statement released through Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney Emily Cole. “We always supported and loved our brother. We are confident our brother would never harm our mother.”
The father, Shehada Issa, 69, was charged last week with one count of premeditated murder for the shotgun killing of his son. Prosecutors added an allegation that the murder was committed because of the son’s sexual orientation.
“Shehada Issa had allegedly threatened to kill his son on prior occasions because he was gay,” a prosecution press release said.
No charges have been filed in the woman’s death but police allege the primary reason Shehada Issa killed his son was to cover up the stabbing death of his wife the previous day.
Shehada Issa’s arraignment was postponed to April 11. It’s not clear whether he has an attorney who could comment on his case.
When he was arrested, Shehada Issa told investigators he shot his son in self-defense after finding his wife’s body last month. The wife’s body was inside the family’s North Hills home. The son’s body was outside.
Police Detective John Doerbecker tolds the Los Angeles Times Tuesday that the son’s sexuality was a contributing factor, but not the main factor.
“Dad killed mom and then killed his son to cover it up,” Doerbecker said.
Another homicide detective, Steve Castro, had told the Daily News of Los Angeles earlier that Amier Issa’s “sexual orientation was not the key factor” in the killing.
