American Woman Found Guilty in UK Murder Plot Over Family Feud
- Aimee Betro, a 45-year-old American woman, has been convicted in the UK for her role in a 2019 attempted murder linked to a violent family feud
- Prosecutors said Betro disguised herself in a niqab and tried to shoot Sikander Ali at point-blank range, but the gun jammed
- The case followed a years-long international manhunt that led to Betro’s extradition from Armenia earlier this year
An American woman has been found guilty by a UK court of attempting to murder a British man in a plot linked to a violent family feud.
The verdict was delivered on Tuesday at Birmingham Crown Court, following years of international investigation and legal proceedings.
Source: Getty Images
Aimee Betro, 45, originally from Wisconsin, was extradited earlier this year from Armenia, where she had been living, to face trial in the central English city. The case centred on a September 2019 incident in which Betro allegedly tried to shoot Sikander Ali outside his home.
Prosecutors told the court that Betro had disguised herself in a niqab before emerging from a vehicle and attempting to fire a handgun at Ali at point-blank range. However, the weapon jammed, allowing Ali to escape in his car.
Plot to murder linked to violent family dispute
The court heard that Betro was part of a conspiracy involving Mohammed Aslam, 56, and his son Mohammed Nabil Nazir, 31. Both men were previously jailed for their roles in the feud, which escalated after they were injured in a brawl at Ali’s father’s clothing store in July 2018.
Betro had met Nazir through an online dating site and told jurors she was in love with him. Prosecutor Hannah Sidaway described the attack as a near-fatal act of violence.
“Betro tried to kill a man in a Birmingham street at point-blank range. It is sheer luck that he managed to get away unscathed,” she said.
Sidaway praised the investigative efforts that led to Betro’s arrest, stating the case had come to trial after “years of hard work doggedly pursuing Aimee Betro across countries and borders.”
Betro denies charges, claims mistaken identity
Betro, a graphic design graduate, denied all three charges against her, including conspiracy to murder and possession of a self-loading pistol. She claimed she had no knowledge of the plot and insisted it was “just a terrible coincidence” that she was near the scene of the attack.
She further alleged that the real shooter was “another American woman” who resembled her and owned the same phone and brand of trainers. Police confirmed there was no evidence Betro had been paid for her involvement.
Betro is scheduled to be sentenced on 21 August.
Source: Getty Images
Woman sentenced to death
Legit.ng earlier reported that a woman, Chiamaka Ifezue, has been sentenced to death by hanging by an Enugu State High Court for killing a make-up artist, Ijeoma Nweke, in Enugu.
The court, presided over by Justice Kenneth Okpe, delivered the verdict on Wednesday after a two-hour judgement.
According to the court in a report by The Nation, Ifezue was guilty of killing Nweke by forcing her to drink a poisonous substance. The court also said that Ifezue lured Nweke to her house under the pretext of hiring her for a job. She then poisoned Nweke and dumped her body in Maryland within the Enugu Metropolis.
Source: Legit.ng
