A man who suffocated his wife and drowned and suffocated his two children has been found guilty of murder.
Liverpool Crown Court heard that Sami Salem, 30, killed his wife Arena, also 30, his daughter Shadia, 7, and his son Rami, 4, on Tuesday 30 May 2017 at the family home in Flat 1 in 36 Falkner Street, Liverpool.
A pathologist’s report said that Arena had been suffocated, Rami had been drowned and Shadia, had been suffocated and was also likely to have been drowned.
The killings came to light when a heating engineer was called to the house because neighbours said they could smell petrol and gas.
The engineer couldn’t get an answer at the address so relatives that lived nearby were called and they got into the flat. There was a strong smell of petrol and gas.
In Sami’s bedroom they found Sami’s wife Arena Saeed lying on the right hand side of the bed, Shadia next to her and Rami next to Shadia. They were said to look like they were asleep.Sadly, they were already dead.
A family member saw Sami and tried to get him out of the flat because of the overwhelming smell of petrol and gas but he collapsed on the floor. They eventually got him out and the police and the paramedics were called. When Sami was later questioned by police he refused to make any comment.
Sami and Arena had an arranged marriage in Yemen around 7 or 8 years before the tragedy. Sami initially travelled to Yemen from the UK as Arena didn’t have a visa. She eventually got a visa in 2015 and moved here with the two children, hoping to give them a better start in life.
The court heard that Arena had spoken to some people about feeling isolated and unhappy because she couldn’t speak English and because Sami tried to control what she did.
The jury at Liverpool Crown Court today returned a verdict of murder on all three counts against Salem. He will be sentenced tomorrow.
David Jones, Senior Crown Prosecutor with MerseyCheshire Crown Prosecution Service, said “This is a terribly sad case. The defendant murdered his wife and two small children and yet what drove the defendant to commit the killings remains unclear.
“Police officers at the scene at the time of the tragedy said he appeared to show no remorse at all about what had happened.
“He pleaded guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility but the Crown Prosecution Service refused to accept this and proceeded to a trial on a murder charge. The jury have agreed with this and found him guilty.
“Sami had a history of mental illness but this did not explain smothering and drowning his wife and children. The scene in the flat on that day must have been truly awful.
“The Crown Prosecution Service would like to offer condolences to the wider family of Arena and her children and hope they find some consolation in the successful conclusion of thistragic case.”