A podcaster and her husband were shot and killed in their Redmond, Washington, home after a suspected stalker broke into the house at 1:45 a.m. Friday.
The stalking suspect, 38-year-old Ramin Khodakaramrezaei, was also found dead in the house.
Redmond police responded to a report of a shooting and found three people dead in the house after the mother of the female victim had escaped the home and called police from a neighbor’s house.
Upon arrival, officers found a man who lived in the house lying on the ground in the front yard with a gunshot wound to the chest. Officers attempted to perform lifesaving measures, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Inside the home, officers found the bodies of Khodakaramrezaei and the man’s wife, who was allegedly being stalked by the suspect, in the primary bedroom. The suspect had died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, Redmond Police Chief Darrell Lowe said during a press briefing Friday.
The suspect had broken into the house through the mother’s bedroom window, according to Lowe. The suspect had an altercation with the mother before she was able to escape to a neighbor’s house and call 911, the chief said.
Police were familiar with the victim and residence as there was an ongoing stalking investigation.
“Khodakaramrezaei had reportedly listened to the female victim’s podcasts and began communicating with her. The victim and suspect became friends, but when things escalated, she filed a no-contact order against him,” Redmond Police said in a press release Friday.
Lowe said the woman and Khodakaramrezaei first met on the social app Clubhouse. In one police report, she complained of more than 100 contacts from Khodakaramrezaei in one day, he said.
Lowe did not identify the victims, but the woman’s name is noted in the protective order filed as Zohreh Sadeghi. In the order, she said, “[Mr. Khodakaramrezaei] has said many times that nothing short of his own death would make him leave me alone.”
Police were in the process of trying to find Khodakaramrezaei — a long-haul truck driver believed to have been from Texas — and arrest him to serve a petition for protection order, said Lowe, who noted it was difficult to pinpoint his location because his employment kept him moving between states.
“A restraining order is simply a piece of paper that allows officers to take enforcement action should a suspect violate the court order. But a piece of paper does not protect a person when someone is intent on causing them harm,” said Lowe.
The police chief noted the family had taken steps to protect themselves, but called this “the absolute worst outcome.”
ABC News’ Samira Said contributed to this report.
[VIA]
