Woman's Ex-Boyfriend Guilty in Fatal Stabbing

A Prince William County man who stabbed his ex-girlfriend 91 times with a pair of scissors, killing her not far from her Vienna home last July, pleaded guilty yesterday to second-degree murder with an agreement that he face no more than 20 years in prison.

Homaira Rahman, 25, worked in banking and for several years dated Sayed Hashemi, a 28-year-old used-car salesman. Rahman lived with her parents but concealed the relationship from them, according to Peter D. Greenspun, Hashemi's attorney.

By last summer, the couple had broken up, but they continued to text and telephone, attorneys said at Hashemi's plea hearing in Fairfax County Circuit Court. When Rahman found out that Hashemi had been with another woman, she sent profane text messages to Hashemi and called him 76 times between June 29 and July 3, Greenspun said, citing phone records.

Rahman's friends testified last fall that Hashemi had called repeatedly and threatened her while she was with friends at a soccer game in Woodbridge on July 3, so she headed home. Greenspun said Hashemi was there, planning to introduce himself to Rahman's father and ask him to stop his daughter's calls.

Hashemi and Rahman apparently met outside the house, on Litwalton Court, then drove in her car to a dark cul-de-sac in the 2300 block of Malraux Drive. Greenspun said that Rahman had the scissors and began attacking Hashemi, who later went to the hospital with a neck wound.

Greenspun said Hashemi "evidently obtained control of the scissors and lost control of himself, in responding to what was going on" over the text messages and phone calls.

Rahman's body was not found until daylight July 4. By then, Hashemi had traveled to an elevated freeway interchange in Springfield and apparently tried to commit suicide by driving off the ramp, ramming several cars. He fled on foot, was picked up by police and taken to Inova Fairfax Hospital.

On a gurney in the emergency room, according to Chief Deputy Commonwealth's Attorney Ian M. Rodway, Hashemi told Fairfax homicide detectives Steve Shillingford and Chester Toney that he had wanted to speak with Rahman's father the night of the incident. He told the detectives that Rahman "was cursing me out and something bad happened. I think I beat her."

Shillingford testified last fall that he asked Hashemi if he had stabbed Rahman, and he replied, "She had scissors, but I don't want to talk about it." The bloody scissors were found near Rahman's body, but that information had not been made public.

Hashemi did not make a statement at his hearing.

Rodway said the 20-year maximum sentence came as a result of discussions with Rahman's family. "This is what they wanted," he said. "I don't think they were interested in any more public airing of this case."

Brian Drummond, a lawyer representing the Rahmans, said the family was grateful for "the efforts of the Fairfax County police and prosecutors" but did not want to discuss the possible sentence.