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A Jonesboro man faces murder charges in the strangulation death of his 25-year-old daughter early Sunday over what police said was her desire to end an arranged marriage.
Chaudhry Rashid, 54, is being held at the Clayton County jail and faces an initial court appearance Monday afternoon.
Police say he apparently became angry during an argument in which the victim, Sandeela Kanwal, told him she wanted out of the marriage, Clayton police spokesman Timothy Owens said.
The father and daughter are both of Pakistani descent, and police said language barriers have slowed their investigation.
A police report released Monday offered new details:
Rashid’s wife, Gina Rashid, 49, called police just before 2 a.m. Sunday and told them she had been awakened and heard screaming in a language she could not understand. Gina Rashid, who is African-American, left the house out of fear and called police from nearby.
Gina Rashid told police Kanwal wanted to end the arranged marriage and had not spoken to her father in two months because of their disagreement on the matter.
Kanwal lived at the couple’s Utah Drive home when she was not with her husband, who resides in Chicago, Owens said. She hadn’t seen the husband in three months, he said.
Kanwal was found in her bed, and the police report suggested a cord or some other implement might have been used to strangle her. An iron with a cord was found near the bedroom door, and downstairs a necklace was on what appeared to be a prayer table, the report said.
Kanwal’s brother, who also was in the house, told police his father told him his sister was dead, the report said. The brother said his father was smoking inside the house, which he rarely did, and seemed upset.
Rashid had a seizure after police arrived and was taken to a local hospital for treatment, Owens said.
Police said Chaudhry Rashid owns a pizza parlor in Clayton County, while his daughter worked at a Wal-Mart.
Neighbors said the family moved in about two or three years ago.
“They were very nice, very quiet,” said Jack Hannah, who lives a few doors down from Rashad on Utah Drive. He said the family didn’t socialize much but would occasionally host large cricket matches for friends in their yard.
James Ambro said he chatted with Rashid regularly.Welcome to
“Small talk, mostly,” said Ambro, who also lives on Utah Drive. “He seemed like a real nice fellow. A good neighbor, definitely.”
Neighbors said they couldn’t recall any prior incidents.
“Things like that don’t happen in this neighborhood,” Hannah said.