DETROIT – There was a lot of tension in an Oakland County courtroom after a Farmington Hills man was sentenced to 35-60 years for murdering his mother in 2017.
Police found Nada Huranieh, 35, at her home, and prosecutors say her then 16-year-old son suffocated her, threw her body out of a second-floor window, and then staged the scene to make it look like an accident.
At the center of it was a family divided by tragedy, a crime the judge described as heinous as she handed down her sentence, more than four hours after those proceedings got underway.
“He could die today, and I would not go to his funeral,” said Aya Altantawi. “I would throw a party instead. I don’t care about him.”
Aya Altantawi showed no mercy for her brother, Muhammad Altantawi, after he was sentenced to at least 35 years behind bars for killing their mother.
“These past five years have been a lot,” Aya Altantawi said. “I’ve tried to sympathize. I’ve tried to be empathetic.”
There was no empathy in the courtroom for Muhammad Altantawi, who seemed to portray himself as the victim, which angered the judge.
“Five years ago, I got arrested for the worst crime imaginable, and I am innocent,” said Muhammad Altantawi.
There were tears and hours of rambling.
“MDOCs requested sentencing for 40 to 80 years, I don’t care,” Muhammad Altantawi said.
Read: Farmington Hills man sentenced for mother’s murder from 2017
Aya Altantawi kept interrupting the hearing and was later removed from court after she was yelling and swearing at the top of her lungs.
“Get the expletive out,” Aya Altantawi said.
She returned later and began interrupting her brother, who was representing himself in court.
Her outburst was a reaction to the only person who stood in defense of Muhammad Altantawi, and that was their father.
“He’s been wrongfully convicted,” said father, Bassel Altantawi. “It has impacted me and his sister.”
The judge cut Bassel Altantawi’s victim impact statement short as she did not find his remarks appropriate.
“He’s referring to you as a victim,” said Oakland County Circuit Court Judge Martha Anderson. “You are not the victim here.”
The prosecuting attorney called Altantawi a skilled liar practiced in the art of deception.
The attorney said he was satisfied with the sentence and hoped Muhammad Altantawi could get the help he needed behind bars.
