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An Iraqi immigrant has been sentenced to 34 years in an Arizona prison for running over his daughter because she became too Westernized.
Faleh Hassan Almaleki was sentenced after being convicted of second-degree murder in the October 2009 death of his 20-year-old Noor Almaleki.
He was also found guilty of aggravated assault for running over the mother of Noor's boyfriend and two counts of leaving the scene of an accident.
Police say Almaleki slammed his Jeep into his daughter and Amal Khalaf, who lived and was at Friday's sentencing.
Noor was in a coma for two weeks before she died from her injuries.
During the trial, prosecutors said he wanted Noor Almaleki to act like a traditional Iraq woman, but she refused an arranged marriage, went to college and had a boyfriend.
Defence lawyers had called Noor's death and the severe injuries to Amal Khalaf an accident.
They said he only wanted to spit on the older woman, who Almaleki thought helped his daughter stay away from her family.
Khalaf had taken Noor in several times after she left home between 2007 and 2009, and that was a cause of increasing friction between the families.
A detective testified that Almaleki acknowledged under questioning by police that he intentionally ran her over. But the transcript of the taped interview showed he repeatedly called the incident an accident.
Khalaf also testified during the four-week trial, saying he ignored her screams to stop before he struck her and then ran down Noor.
The defence never called any witnesses. They argued for a lesser charge, saying Almaleki made a split-second decision that he should be held accountable for but that he did not intend to kill anyone.
His lawyer said during opening statements that the truck driver from southern Iraq was angry at the older woman, and he was trying to drive by and spit on her when she jumped in front of his Jeep.
He swerved, but could not avoid accidentally hitting her and running over his daughter, his lawyer said.
Defence attorneys said in a written statement that they were 'pleased the jury took the time necessary to consider all of the evidence in this important case,' but declined further comment.
The incident happened on Oct. 20, 2009, outside a state Department of Economic Security office in the west Phoenix suburb of Peoria.
Noor had gone with Khalaf to interpret and the women were waiting to be helped when Faleh Almaleki came into the office.
He left after a short time, and Khalaf said she was worried he might do something violent toward Noor, so she drove around the parking lot to make sure he had left.
She testified that she was so nervous, she locked her keys in her van and had to call her son to bring another set.
They left the office to go to a nearby restaurant when the Jeep bore down on the women.
Almaleki fled to Mexico and then London, where he was detained and then returned to the U.S. 


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1377507/Iraqi-jailed-running-daughter-honor-killing.html#ixzz1JkNemsGJ