King County prosecutors on Wednesday charged Sayed Nazir Sadat with Murder in the First Degree in the death of his wife, Geety Sadat, who was found dead in the couple’s Auburn apartment on Nov. 23, according to newly filed court documents.
What investigators say happened
According to a probable-cause certification obtained by The Ari Hoffman Show on Talk Radio 570 KVI, Sadat called 911 from the family’s apartment at the Gentry Walk Apartments around 7:42 am and reported that he had killed his wife “by strangling her.” He told the dispatcher she was no longer breathing and said the couple’s three children were inside the apartment.
Officers arrived and found Sadat at the door with his hands raised, the document says. Police detained him and conducted a sweep of the apartment, locating the children asleep in a bedroom; the children were then taken into protective custody.
In the main bedroom, officers found Geety Sadat deceased on the bed, with her body partially off the mattress, according to the investigators’ description. Fire responders confirmed she had died. A detective who observed the medical examiner investigators at the scene reported bruising on her neck and throat, possible petechiae, and markings consistent with finger impressions.
Statements attributed to Sadat
After being advised of his Miranda rights, Sadat told an officer he strangled his wife with both hands for about 15 minutes after he “snapped” due to suspicions she was having a relationship with another man, the court filing says.
In a subsequent interview with detectives, Sadat said he and his wife were from Afghanistan, married in an arranged marriage in 2013, and immigrated to the United States in 2023, according to the probable-cause document. He told investigators he had suspected his wife for about a year of having a relationship with a man he identified as Masihullah “Masi” Tanin.
Sadat told detectives he had debated killing his wife for 7 to 10 days and decided the night before that he would do it the next morning, the document says. He described waking up around 7 am, rolling her onto her back while she slept, climbing on top of her, and strangling her. He said she struggled briefly and that he, at one point, placed his knees on her upper body and chest. He reported releasing pressure, believing she had stopped breathing, then applying pressure again after she gasped for air until he was confident she was dead.
The filing states Sadat described the killing as an “honor killing” and told detectives he believed Tanin “should also be killed,” but said he would need a weapon and did not know where to obtain a gun.
What other witnesses told police
The probable-cause document says Sadat reported calling his sister, Yasameen Sadat, and her husband, Paiman Nasiri, after the killing and asking them to pick up his children. The sister and her husband later gave statements that detectives said matched the details Sadat had described.
Tanin also provided a statement to police, the document says. Detectives wrote there was no indication from Tanin’s statement that he was involved in or aware of an adulterous relationship.
Autopsy findings cited in court file
Detectives attended an autopsy on Nov. 24, according to the filing. The probable-cause certification lists multiple injuries noted during the exam, including hemorrhages to the scalp and brain, internal bleeding in the neck, a broken hyoid bone, hemorrhaging beneath the left pectoral muscle, facial contusions, arm contusions, abrasions, and red marks along the neck and throat, and petechiae around the eyes and inside the eyelids, among other injuries.
The medical examiner determined the cause of death was asphyxiation and strangulation, and the manner of death was homicide, the document says.
Charge and bail request
Prosecutors filed charges in King County Superior Court against Sadat for premeditated first-degree murder, alleging he caused the death of Geety Sadat on or about Nov. 23. The filing also alleges domestic-violence-related sentencing factors, including that the offense occurred within sight or sound of a minor child, and that the victim was an intimate partner.
In a separate prosecuting attorney case summary, prosecutors asked the court to set bail at $3 million, arguing Sadat is a threat to community safety and a flight risk. The request cites the seriousness of the charge and Sadat’s statements to detectives. Prosecutors also requested that if he were to post bail, he be ordered to surrender his passport and be placed on electronic home monitoring.
KING 5 reported that on Wednesday, Sadat refused to leave his cell today for arraignment on first-degree murder charges, so his court date was postponed to Dec. 10.
