Iraqi Woman Critically Beaten in Calif. (Has Died); Threat Note Left at Scene

[MADem]

41. She was 12 when she came here, and fifteen when she had her daughter.

Which means she was fourteen or fifteen when she got married.

Here in the USA.

She's been married for 17 or 18 years.

I'm guessing the husband is considerably older. I'm guessing the family business involves (or involved at one time) a close relationship with the USG or one of our allies.

It could well be that the parents of the 17 year old had already picked out a husband for their oldest Born In The USA daughter, and she wasn't having it. It could be the wife was tired of her older husband and was carrying on with a younger man, maybe even an in-law, and the husband wasn't having that, and he ordered his oldest daughter to lie for him after he clubbed his cheating wife in a fit of anger. We just don't know yet.

I think a "non-Muslim American" going into a predominantly Iraqi-American neighborhood (the 2nd largest one in the entire USA, with forty thousand residents) in the morning when people are going off to work and taking their kids to school (as the husband was doing) might just be NOTICED--particularly since the family was new to the neighborhood and I'm betting a lot of the neighbors were a bit curious about them, as people often are when someone new moves in. It could have happened, but I think it's less likely than a family scenario. Beating someone to death with a tire iron takes PERSONAL anger, PERSONAL intent--IMO. A Hate Crimer would use a Saturday Night Special and toss it--he wouldn't want to get spattered with blood. And why leave a note? I mean, really--makes no sense.

We'll see in time, though. I'll bet the police will figure this out fairly soon.