Murphy urges India to help extradite man wanted for 2017 double murder in New Jersey
Indian national accused of deadly 2017 stabbing of mother, son in New Jersey
Nazeer Hameed is accused of fatally stabbing Sasikala Narra and her young son Anish inside a Burlington County apartment back in 2017. Here's what we know.
TRENTON - New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy is stepping in to coordinate the extradition of an Indian man accused of a deadly 2017 stabbing in Burllington County.
What we know:
Nazeer Hameed was charged in November in the 2017 cold case double murder of Sasikala Narra and her 6-year-old son, Anish, at their Maple Shade apartment.
Investigators say Hameed fled to India months after the slayings, but investigators recently managed to seize his work laptop and discovered DNA they say matched a blood sample found at the scene of the crime.
Nazeer Hameed was charged in November in the 2017 cold case double murder of Sasikala Narra and her 6-year-old son, Anish, at their Maple Shade apartment.
Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office Lieutenant Brian Cunningham told reporters last month that officials are working to get Hameed back to the United States to face murder charges, but have since been unsuccessful.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy on Tuesday said he requested the assistance of the Government of India in the extradition of Hameed. In a letter to Ambassador of India to the United States Vinay Kwatra, Murphy referenced the 1997 Extradition Treaty between the United States of America and the Republic of India.
What they're saying:
Murphy called the double murder a "heinous crime that shocked our state."
The governor said New Jersey stands ready to work with federal governments and the government of India to "facilitate the extradition process in accordance with both Indian law and the terms of our bilateral treaty."
The backstory:
Investigators say in March 2017, Hanu Narra arrived home to find his wife Sasikala and their son Anish brutally stabbed to death inside their Maple Shade apartment.
The crime scene was described by police as the most brutal they've seen, and defensive wounds found on the mother and son's bodies suggested they fought back.
Investigators honed their focus on a blood sample taken from the scene that did not belong to either victim nor Hanu.
Through investigative leads, authorities developed Nazeer Hameed as a suspect in the brutal double murder and began looking into his movements during the crime.
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Indian national accused of deadly 2017 stabbing of mother, son in Burlington County
An Indian man is being held responsible for the deadly 2017 stabbing of a mother and her son inside a Burlington County apartment after investigators say DNA evidence taken from his company-issued laptop linked him to a blood sample found at the crime scene.
They found that Hameed worked at the same company as Hanu; Cognizant Technologies, a Teaneck, New Jersey-based company. They also discovered that he lived within walking distance of the family's apartment and did not drive while he was living in the United States on a work visa.
Investigators allege Hameed followed Hanu and his family for a "significant time" prior to the murders. He fled to India after the double stabbing and remained an employee of Cognizant.
It's believed that Haamed used his extensive background in technology to cover his tracks and conceal his criminal history. Investigators in the United States submitted a request for Hameed's blood sample, but that request went unfulfilled.
After years of trying to file criminal charges to bring Hameed back to the United States, investigators were able to seize his company-issued laptop for a DNA sample.
Cognizant shipped his laptop back to the United States where investigators were able to pull a DNA sample that they say matched the mysterious blood sample taken from the crime scene in 2017.