Early Friday morning, a couple was found dead in their home near Seattle.
Podcaster Zohreh Sadeghi, 33, and her husband, Mohammad Milad Naseri, 35, were victims of a murder-suicide-shooting. Police say Ramin Khodakaramrezaei, 38, broke into their home, per The Associated Press.
The suspected shooter and Sadeghi had originally met in 2021 on an online chat group for Farsi speakers and had expressed interest in her podcast. The two chatted for some time online and even met in person, reported AP. Last year, when the fan started threatening Sadeghi in the fall of 2022, the couple filed paperwork for a restraining order.
“In one of the reports, she reported over 100 contacts in a single day,” Redmond Police Chief Darrell Lowe said, per CNN. “There were instances where the individual did show up at the (home) previously bearing gifts.”
Khodakaramrezaei was originally from Texas and was working as a truck driver in the area of the home, which made it difficult for police to locate him for the retraining order, reported CNN.
AP reported the suspected shooter entered through a broken window, where he allegedly shot both Sadehgi and Naseri, and then himself. Sadehgi’s mother was also in the home but escaped unharmed to a neighbor's house, where she called the police at approximately 1:45 a.m. Friday.
“This is the absolute worst outcome for a stalking case. This is every victim, every detective, every police chief’s worst nightmare,” Lowe said Friday during a media briefing, per AP.
“This is the absolute worst outcome for a stalking case. This is every victim, every detective, every police chief’s worst nightmare,” Lowe said Friday during a media briefing, per AP.
He said this was the “worst nightmare” for stalking cases and cautioned that just because paperwork has been filed, “a piece of paper does not protect a person when someone is intent on causing them harm.” It only gives officers the ability to enforce the order.