Man charged with murdering two autistic sons by driving them off pier

Prosecutors originally said there was insufficient evidence to bring charges

Andrew Buncombe
Seattle
Thursday 18 July 2019 22:23 BST
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A California man has been charged with two counts of murder after allegedly driving his wife and two autistic sons off a Los Angeles’ wharf.

Police claimed Ali Elmezayen, 45, intentionally drove the boys, aged 13 and 8, off the pier, having previously bought up to $6m in life insurance policies to cover his family in the event of their accidental deaths.

Prosecutors alleged Mr Elmezayen escaped from the vehicle, while the two boys – Abdelkarim, and Elhassan – drowned.

Though his wife could not swim, she was helped to safety by fishermen, who threw her a life ring as she screamed “My kids, my kids”.

Court documents described the two sons as “suffering] from severe autism”. They said the couple also have a third son, who was also diagnosed with autism but was high functioning” and “was away at an overnight camp through his high school” when the family car plummeted into the water.

When he was initially questioned about the 2015 incident, Mr ​Elmezayen told police he may have accidentally pressed the accelerator or that he may have passed out as a result of medication he took two days earlier related to his medical condition, Thalassemia Minor, according to official testimony cited in the case.

Mr Elmezayen collected morse than $260,000 in insurance payouts for the deaths and wired more than $170,000 back to his native Egypt, prosecutors have alleged.

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The district attorney initially declined to bring charges in the deaths because of insufficient evidence.

Prosecutors said on Wednesday, the murder charges had now been brought as a result of further investigation.

If convicted in the murder case, Mr Elmezayen faces life in prison without parole, or the death penalty.

It is not known whether Mr Elmezayen has a lawyer or has been given a chance to enter a plea.

Additional reporting by Associated Press

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