Suspect accused of killing man in office was frustrated with his refugee status, prosecutors say
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HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — Police believe a man’s fight and frustration to obtain refugee status led him to murder the man trying to help him in southwest Houston.
Like the suspect, the victim was also from Afghanistan. He lost both of his legs working for the U.S. military.
In probable cause court overnight, prosecutors said the victim, 34-year-old Abdul Niazi, was stabbed more than 20 times.
The suspect has been identified as 37-year-old Masiulla Sahil. Investigators said he admitted to the brutal stabbing because he was upset with how long it was taking to get his refugee status approved.
Sahil is charged with murder. He had an interpreter in court overnight and his bond was set at $750,000.
The attack happened inside Niazi’s office on Harwin Drive, where he ran a business helping fellow Afghan refugees with things like immigration paperwork, taxes, job applications, and more.
Houston police were called to the office building at 7111 Harwin Dr. just before 6 p.m. Wednesday after employees reportedly found Niazi unresponsive after he had missed a meeting. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Sahil was later identified as the suspect in Niazi’s death and was arrested in the 7400 block of Fondren Road without incident.
Investigators say video shows Sahil going in and out of the office building and while leaving, it appears he had blood on his clothes.
Investigators also say Sahil admitted to getting into an argument with the victim, going out to his car, getting a knife, and threatening the victim before stabbing him about 20 times all over his body.
Friends told ABC13 Niazi served as an interpreter for the U.S. military until a suicide bomber took both his legs. In 2014, the U.S. government relocated him as a refugee to Houston, where he thrived.
In court overnight, it was revealed that investigators spoke to family members, who say the suspect contacted them after the stabbing.
“They explained that this defendant, who they know is another refugee from Afghanistan, had called one of the cousins over the phone to apologize for hurting the victim,” prosecutors read in court.
Niazi leaves behind five children under 10 years old and a wife.
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