Jordanian father-of-six is indicted on aggravated murder charge for shooting dead his pharmacist daughter, 27, in family's Ohio home... but DENIES it was an honor killing

  • Jamal Mansour, 63, told a judge he shot daughter Tahani, the youngest of six children, by accident on September 27
  • Tahani Mansour took two bullets to the head after getting into an argument with her father, police said
  • A prosecutor called the woman's killing 'an assassination' 
  • Ms Mansour, a graduate of Northeast Ohio Medical University, had recently been hired as a clinical pharmacist by the Cleveland Clinic
  • Jamal Mansour, who has lived in the US since 1978 and is a citizen, comes from a wealthy family who own gas stations and grocery stores in Ohio 
  • Jamal's attorney said the idea that Tahani's killing was a 'Muslim honor killing' was 'racist and offensive'
  • A police report from 2012 revealed that Jamal allegedly threatened to kill himself because Tahani traveled to Las Vegas for work 

By Associated Press and Snejana Farberov For Dailymail.com

Published: 08:42 EST, 7 October 2016 | Updated: 15:01 EST, 7 October 2016

A wealthy Ohio businessman of Jordanian descent who admits to fatally shooting his daughter at their family's suburban Cleveland home has been indicted on an aggravated murder charge.

Jamal Mansour, 63, told Rocky River police he was angry when he shot 27-year-old Tahani Mansour during a heated argument. The indictment was handed up Wednesday. 

Mansour, a married father-of-six and a grandfather, is being held on a $4.5million bond. He is due back in court for his arraignment on October 20. 

Jamal Mansour
Tahani Mansour

Father-daughter spat: Jamal Mansour (left), 63, told police he was angry when he shot Tahani Mansour (right), the youngest of his six children, twice in the head during an argument

Authorities have not disclosed why Jamal became so enraged that he grabbed a gun and fired three rounds at his youngest child, hitting her twice in the head. After his arrest, he told a judge it was an accident.

The youngest of six children, Tahani was described by friends as bright and energetic, and had recently been hired as a clinical pharmacist by the Cleveland Clinic.

She received a doctor of pharmacy degree from Northeast Ohio Medical University in 2013, worked as a clinical pharmacist for University Hospitals and taught at the University of Findlay and the medical school, according to her LinkedIn account. 

The medical school posted a statement on its website mourning her death, and included information about a prayer service held Thursday at a Cleveland mosque.  

Jamal was born in Jordan and came to the US in 1978, eventually becoming an American citizen.

At his initial court appearance last week, City Prosecutor Michael O'Shea said Jamal 'executed' his own daughter and called her death 'an assassination,' but would not elaborate.

The prosecutor's description of the killing has raised the suggestion that it might have been an honor killing, but the suspect's attorney, Angelo Lenardo, vehemently denied it, saying the very notion was 'racist and offensive.' 

'Mr. Mansour is a good man who very much loves his family,' Lenardo said of his client.  

Jamal comes from a well-to-do family who own gas stations and grocery stores in Ohio. He had recently returned from Jerusalem, where his family is building an apartment complex.

Justin Withrow, one of Jamal's attorneys, said in court last Thursday that his client is ‘devastated’ by his daughter's death and called the fatal shooting a ‘tragic situation.’

Crime scene: The 27-year-old clinical pharmacist was fatally shot in her upstairs bedroom at the family's home in Rocky river (pictured) 

Crime scene: The 27-year-old clinical pharmacist was fatally shot in her upstairs bedroom at the family's home in Rocky river (pictured) 

Police officers arrived at the Mansour family's home in the 22600 block of Vine Court in Rocky River after getting a frantic 911 call from the victim’s brother, reported Cleveland.com.

Tahani's sibling told a dispatcher that at around 1.15am, their father, Jamal, shot the young woman twice in the head in her upstairs bedroom.

The brother described Tahani as unconscious and breathing, but said her face was covered in blood and she was twitching.

On the 911 call, the brother also mentioned that his father was diabetic, but Lt. George Lichman, of the Rocky River Police, later disputed that claim, saying that paramedics who examined Jamal found that he was not 'under any medical care.'   

Officers who responded to the scene found Tahani with two bullet wounds, including one to the front of her head. She was rushed to Fairview General Hospital, where she succumbed to her injuries 10 hours later. 

While investigators say they are still searching for a motive, records show that Jamal had previously threatened to commit suicide over Tahani's work-related trip to Las Vegas. 

The station WOIO has obtained a police report dated December 1, 2012, saying that someone had called the authorities saying that Jamal had threatened to take his own life if his daughter failed to return home from a conference in Las Vegas by 7am the next day.

Police officers performed a welfare check on Jamal, who denied ever threatening to harm himself but confirmed that he was upset with Tahani for going to Las Vegas. 

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