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PHOENIX - An Arizona man has been sentenced to just over 31 years behind bars for the shooting death of his wife.
In a statement released on May 3, Maricopa County Attorney's Office announced that 40-year-old Mohammad Alkurdi was sentenced on April 25 to 25 years behind bars for a count of Second Degree Murder, and 2.25 years for each of the three counts of Disorderly Conduct Involving Weapons, all to be served consecutively.
Alkurdi pleaded guilty to those charges on March 12, 2024.
The shooting happened on March 14, 2023. Officers responded to an apartment complex near Dobson and Frye Roads, where they found Alkurdi outside, and his four children inside the apartment's leasing office with a neighbor who reported the incident. The victim was found inside the family's apartment in a bedroom closet with two gunshot wounds. She was declared dead at the scene.
"Investigators learned that all four children were home when the shooting occurred. One of the children, who was just seven years old, witnessed the shooting and said she wanted to protect her mom, but it happened too fast," read a portion of the statement.
Prosecutors say the shooting came after a series of domestic violence incidents that had been escalating in the weeks prior, including an instance where Alkurdi allegedly threatened the victim with a knife.
"At the time of her death, the victim was in the process of gathering documents for an order of protection, had changed the locks on her residence, and was seeking domestic violence assistance," officials wrote.
(If you believe you are a victim of domestic violence, help is available. Call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233), or text START to 88788. A live online chat is also available.)