Shaima Alawadi
- March 21, 2012
- 32 years
- head trauma
About Shaima Alawadi
Shaima Alawadi, 32, American murder victim, head trauma.
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Full Biography
|Shaima Alawadi was an Iraqi-born American housewife who was murdered in El Cajon, California on March 21, 2012.
Alawadi, a 32-year-old U.S. citizen who had emigrated from Iraq in the early 1990s, was found beaten to death in her home. Alawadi's death was initially seen as a hate crime and that she was murdered for being a Muslim. Alawadi's husband Kassim Alhimidi was eventually charged and convicted for her murder and sentenced to 26 years to life in prison.
Background
Alawadi's family fled Iraq after Saddam Hussein's government suppressed Shiite uprisings, and settled in Detroit in 1993. They moved to San Diego in 1996. Alawadi was a housewife who had five children and volunteered at the local mosque. Her husband and brothers worked for the United States Army training soldiers who were to be deployed to the Middle East.
Death
On March 21, 2012, Alawadi was logged onto Yahoo! Messenger and corresponding with someone in Iraq when she was attacked at her home in El Cajon. Alawadi's 17-year-old daughter Fatima found her unconscious, having been brutally beaten, on the floor of their dining room. Next to her was a note which read "Go back to your country, you terrorist;" the sliding glass door was smashed. A similar note had allegedly been left a week earlier. Although police were not able to immediately determine whether or not the murder was a hate crime, the note led them to consider the possibility. The cause of Alawadi's death was determined to be severe head trauma. Her family took her off life support on March 24, and her body was flown to Iraq for burial.
Aftermath and investigation
Some activists and commentators compared the crime to the killing of Trayvon Martin that had taken place less than a month earlier. The hoodie that Martin was wearing was said to feed into racial profiling that led an armed civilian to shoot the unarmed teenager. Alawadi's hijab was similarly said to have marked her as Muslim to the person who murdered her. The death was initially portrayed in the media as a hate crime due to the note left with the body, and thus an act of Islamophobia.
As the investigation, in which the local police were assisted by the FBI, developed, records were accidentally released to the press which indicated that Alawadi was thinking of filing for divorce from her husband and moving. This and other family issues, including her daughter's refusal to proceed with an arranged marriage, led the police to consider the possibility that the murder was not a hate crime. Due to this information, the death was described as a misogyny hate crime in Time.
Kassim Alhimidi, the 48-year-old husband of Shaima Alawadi, was arrested on the evening of November 8, 2012 and charged in her death, according to San Diego County jail records. Alhimidi was ordered held without bail, and pleaded not guilty to Alawadi's murder. The trial was delayed until March 2014, while defense attorneys looked through evidence. During the trial, the actions of their daughter Fatima, prior to the death of Alawadi, was a focus of some of the testimony. In April 2014, Alhimidi was found guilty of murder, and in June 2014, Alhimidi was sentenced to 26 years to life.
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Articles & News
- "Police: Shaima Alawadi's death was domestic violence not hate crime, arrest husband"usnews.nbcnews.com
- "Shaima Alawadi's Murder: A Hate Crime Against Women?"ideas.time.com
- "Shaima Alawadi Murder: Iraqi-American woman's husband pleads not guilty in her beating death"cbsnews.com
Reported coverage of Shaima Alawadi; each link opens the original article on the publisher's own site.
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Sources
- Wikipedia
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Shaima_Alawadi
- CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sep 26, 2026
- View article
- Sep 26, 2026
Trivia & Knowledge· 16 questions
Questions drawn from Shaima Alawadi's archived record and the sources above.
1.What was Shaima Alawadi's occupation?
- A.Soldier
- B.Teacher
- C.Housewifecorrect
- D.Nurse
Shaima Alawadi was a housewife who also volunteered at a local mosque.
Source: background section
2.How many children did Shaima Alawadi have?
- A.Fivecorrect
- B.Three
- C.Six
- D.Four
Shaima Alawadi was a housewife who raised five children.
Source: background section
3.What was the specific cause of Shaima Alawadi's death?
- A.Poisoning
- B.Gunshot wounds
- C.Severe head traumacorrect
- D.Asphyxiation
The official cause of Shaima Alawadi's death was determined to be severe head trauma.
Source: death section
4.Who found Shaima Alawadi unconscious in her home?
- A.Her daughter Fatimacorrect
- B.Kassim Alhimidi
- C.Her brother
- D.A neighbor
Shaima Alawadi's 17-year-old daughter, Fatima, found her mother unconscious in their dining room.
Source: death section
5.What message was written on the note found near Shaima Alawadi?
- A.We know your secrets
- B.Go back to your country, you terroristcorrect
- C.Leave this house now
- D.You are not welcome here
A note was found next to Shaima Alawadi that read, 'Go back to your country, you terrorist'.
Source: death section
6.Where was Shaima Alawadi's body buried?
- A.El Cajon
- B.San Diego
- C.Detroit
- D.Iraqcorrect
After Shaima Alawadi was taken off life support, her body was flown to Iraq for burial.
Source: death section
7.What other high-profile crime was the death of Shaima Alawadi compared to in the media?
- A.The Oklahoma City bombing
- B.The Columbine shooting
- C.The murder of Nicole Brown Simpson
- D.The killing of Trayvon Martincorrect
Activists and commentators compared the killing of Shaima Alawadi to the death of Trayvon Martin.
Source: aftermath and investigation section
8.What information emerged during the investigation regarding Shaima Alawadi's marriage?
- A.She was thinking of filing for divorcecorrect
- B.She was planning to remarry
- C.She was already legally divorced
- D.She was writing a book about her marriage
Police records indicated that Shaima Alawadi was considering filing for divorce from her husband.
Source: aftermath and investigation section
9.What was the name of the man convicted for the murder of Shaima Alawadi?
- A.Kassim Alhimidicorrect
- B.The FBI Director
- C.Fatima Alawadi
- D.Saddam Hussein
Kassim Alhimidi, Shaima Alawadi's husband, was charged and convicted for her murder.
Source: introduction
10.In what year was Kassim Alhimidi arrested for the murder of Shaima Alawadi?
- A.2014
- B.2010
- C.2012correct
- D.2016
Kassim Alhimidi was arrested on the evening of November 8, 2012, in connection with the murder.
Source: aftermath and investigation section
11.What was the sentence given to Kassim Alhimidi for the murder of Shaima Alawadi?
- A.40 years to life
- B.10 years to life
- C.26 years to lifecorrect
- D.Life without parole
Kassim Alhimidi was found guilty of murder and sentenced to 26 years to life in prison.
Source: aftermath and investigation section
12.What family issue was mentioned as potentially influencing the police investigation?
- A.A conflict regarding the children's schooling
- B.A disagreement about religious practice
- C.A dispute over property in Detroit
- D.The daughter's refusal of an arranged marriagecorrect
Police considered family issues, including the daughter's refusal of an arranged marriage, during their investigation.
Source: aftermath and investigation section
13.What was the age of Shaima Alawadi at the time of her death?
- A.34
- B.36
- C.32correct
- D.30
Shaima Alawadi was a 32-year-old American citizen when she was murdered in 2012.
Source: introduction
14.In what city was Shaima Alawadi murdered?
- A.Baghdad
- B.Detroit
- C.San Diego
- D.El Cajoncorrect
Shaima Alawadi was murdered in her home located in El Cajon, California.
Source: introduction
15.When did Shaima Alawadi emigrate from Iraq?
- A.Early 1980s
- B.Early 1990scorrect
- C.Early 2000s
- D.Late 1990s
Shaima Alawadi emigrated from Iraq to the United States in the early 1990s.
Source: introduction
16.Where did the family of Shaima Alawadi first settle after leaving Iraq?
- A.New York City
- B.San Diego
- C.Detroitcorrect
- D.El Cajon
After fleeing Iraq due to the suppression of uprisings, Shaima Alawadi's family settled in Detroit in 1993.
Source: background section
People who died on March 21
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