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

[MADem]

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The body is to be flown back to Iraq. Her father is a shi'a cleric there. Some Iraqi legislators seek an investigation into the crime.

The reason that the woman's family left Iraq was due to a crackdown on Shi'a's (who are now in the catbird seat, so to speak, but were oppressed when Saddam was in power) by Saddam Hussein.

Her brothers and her husband all had jobs working for the US Army.

She graduated from high school in SAN DIEGO in 1996. Apparently, this notion that they had just moved from Michigan is not accurate. They moved into the house in El Cajon two months previously, but had moved from Dearborn much earlier, apparently...?

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=149388607

The POLICE aren't ruling anything in or out--they aren't "characterizing" the crime, either--their choice of words is rather interesting, here:

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-iraqi-woman-20120326,0,190790.story

"We're investigating all aspects of this crime," Lt. Mark Coit said Sunday. "The minute you rule out a possible motive, you start to get tunnel vision. As of now, we have not ruled out any of the motives for why people kill people."

...Police said that whatever the motive, the attack appears to be "an isolated event," not part of an overall pattern of violence toward immigrants.

Coit said police are unsure about the murder weapon but that Alawadi was beaten with a large object.

Alawadi's husband had reportedly left earlier to take the couple's younger children to school.