Kimberly Hinkson worried about bringing her family back to live in the United States.
The Hinksons lived in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on and off the past eight years, where the violent crimes and rampant drug use that plague some American cities are rare. Hinkson's concern was one of the reasons she and her husband, Kent, decided they'd settle in Provo, which while not problem-free seems an oasis compared to many cities.They were in the process of buying a home in northeast Provo and had tickets to fly home on Aug. 29.
"She was afraid to come home because of all the crime here," said Ken Hinkson, of Fountain Valley, Calif., Kimberly Hinkson's father-in-law. "Over there she'd never seen drugs."
Until Tuesday.
Kimberly and Kent Hinkson and four of their six children were on their way home after grocery shopping. While stopped for a traffic light, a man - later identified as a drug dealer - ran up to their car, forced open a door and grabbed the Hinksons' 10-year-old daughter, Courtney, Ken Hinkson said.
He shot Courtney in the neck with a .45-caliber handgun, killing her instantly.
The man then told Kent Hinkson, who was driving, "Do what I tell you or I'm going to kill all of you," Ken Hinkson said.
The man was being pursued by Saudi police officers. For almost an hour Kent Hinkson sped through the city as the pursuing officers showered them with bullets.
Moments before the chase ended, Kimberly, 32 years old and 41/2 months pregnant with twins, was struck by a bullet and killed.
"The first time she bumps into it (drug activity), she is killed," Ken Hinkson said.
The chase ended as another bullet struck Kent in the back of the head, traveling just under his scalp and exiting his forehead. Kent, 36, was not seriously injured. The three other children in the car - Hugh, 2; Truman, 5; and Gretchen, 8 - escaped serious injury. The couple's two oldest children - Ralph, 11; and Kent Jr., 13 - were at home during the incident.
Every window in the car was shattered, and Kent Hinkson later counted more than 100 bullet holes in the car.
The drug dealer was apprehended and will be publicly beheaded Saturday, Ken Hinkson said. Execution is the customary punishment for drug involvement in SaudiArabia.
Kent Hinkson, who worked as a computer manager for the Saudi Arabian government, says the incident is not related to the current situation in the Middle East.
"He says he still doesn't feel threatened by the area," said his younger brother, Greg Hinkson, Irvine, Calif. "This was something that was a matter of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. . . . This is just one of those sad, fluke things that happen everywhere."
The American family had been anticipating a happy return to the States and living in the rambler-style home near the Brigham Young University campus.
"The last time (they visited), Kim was so excited to come home. And she was so excited about this house because this was the first home she would have ever had," said Annette Brantzeg of Salt Lake City, a cousin of Kent Hinkson.
When the family visited Utah relatives in June, Kimberly Hinkson chatted happily about the family's plans to return to the United States, to live among Americans, to eat American food and to speak English. Kent Hinkson planned to continue his studies at BYU.
Brantzeg said in an interview Wednesday that despite the anti-American sentiment in the Middle East, Kimberly Hinkson did not fear for her own safety. She had a quick wit and was not afraid to speak her mind.
When the family visited the Brantzegs in June, Kimberly Hinkson accompanied Brantzeg to an LDS Relief Society meeting and described how women are perceived in Saudi Arabia. "She said they (Arab women) don't say much and she overwhelmed them because she was so verbal."
The Hinksons are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Kent and Kimberly met at a ward dance when both lived in California. They married in the Los Angeles Temple 15 years ago.
A cousin, Dennis Hansen of Orem, shared with the Deseret News a newsletter the couple had sent to relatives this Christmas.
"Kimberly is the nursery leader, a busy mother, a school teacher and when the students misbehave a stern principal," the letter said.
It describes Courtney as the "second mother of the house. She cooks, cleans, scolds and helps constantly. She memorizes voraciously and will probably have memorized the entire book of Thomas Monson's favorite quotes by next summer (she takes after her dad)."
Brantzeg said Courtney was particularly close to her sister, Gretchen.
"Courtney and Gretchen were sweet little girls swallowed up in a whole slug of brothers. The children were very well behaved. I think the United States was a little overwhelming to them," Brantzeg said.
Ken Hinkson said the widower has not decided whether to join his immediate family in California or go ahead with plans to move to Utah.
"Obviously he's shaken," Ken Hinkson said. "Of course, it hurts because we're human. But it hasn't altered my faith in God one iota. This is one of the challenges in life."
As Brantzeg recalled the family's last visit, her mind seemed flooded with the most insignificant details.
"Every time she came (to visit) she'd bring me a brass gift. She loved shopping for brass over there. It was amazingly inexpensive," she said.
Shopping was an occasional treat for Kimberly, whose life was consumed by her family. Brantzeg, also a mother of six, said she marveled at Kimberly's ease in dealing with a large family. "No one was as involved with her children as Kim. She was their mother, their teacher, their nurturer and playmate."
Brantzeg said she had not yet grieved the loss. She's stunned by the tragedy.
"They were clean, loving and caring people. It isn't fair. She had a lot of love in her. She was a woman who could have handled 20 children."
Ken Hinkson said his son has encountered difficulties arranging for his wife's and daughter's bodies to be brought back to the United States, because of Moslem religious beliefs. A Saudi Arabian prince and representatives of the U.S. Embassy there are working to solve that problem.
Kimberly and Courtney probably will be buried in Salt Lake City, Ken Hinkson said.