The full story of the Shehada Issa
case is a tragic tale of domestic abuse, gambling debt, and deep-seated hatred.
What started as a shocking hate crime investigation unfolded into a calculated double-murder plot.
🏠 The Troubled Household
The Issa family lived in the North Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles. Behind closed doors, Shehada Issa ruled the home "with an iron fist". Relatives later testified that he was a master manipulator who subjected his family to years of intense domestic abuse.
At the heart of the conflict were two major issues:
- The House and Money:
Shehada was a compulsive gambler who had fallen into heavy debt. He desperately wanted to sell the family home to get cash, but his 68-year-old wife, Rabihah, refused.
- Hatred of His Son:
Their 38-year-old son, Amir (also known as "Rocky"), had moved back into the house. Amir was gay, and Shehada had an extreme, vocal disgust for his son's sexuality. Shehada had repeatedly threatened to kill him because he was gay.
🔪 The Perfect Crime Plot
In late March 2016, Shehada decided to get rid of his family to sell the house.
Sometime between March 27 and March 29, Shehada trapped his wife, Rabihah, inside the home and stabbed her 45 times
, leaving her body hidden in a bathroom.
Instead of calling the police, Shehada locked up the house and waited for two days. Prosecutors proved that he was waiting for his son, Amir, to return so he could carry out the second part of his plan: framing Amir for the mother's murder.
On March 29, 2016, around 9:00 a.m., Amir arrived at the house. Shehada ambushed his son outside the home, shooting him four times
with a shotgun in the face and abdomen.
📞 The Failed Cover-Up
After the shooting, Shehada called emergency services. He told the police a self-defense story: he claimed he had just discovered his wife dead in the bathroom, heard a noise outside, and shot a "burglar" who turned out to be his son wielding a knife.
Shehada's claims quickly fell apart when police found no weapon near Amir. Investigators determined that the close-range, daytime shooting was a planned execution, contradicting the self-defense narrative.
⚖️ The Verdict and Sentencing
Following a September 2017 trial, a jury found Shehada Issa guilty of two counts of first-degree murder, confirming the killing of his son was a hate crime. In October 2017, the 71-year-old was sentenced to consecutive life terms without parole
