Modesto mother faces multiple life sentences for killing daughter, attempting to kill son

A jury found a 36-year-old Modesto mother guilty of murdering her 4-year-old daughter and trying to kill her 10-year-old son in 2023, prosecutors said on Friday.

Mina Nazari was convicted of premeditated first-degree murder of her daughter and premeditated attempted murder of her son, the Stanislaus County District Attorney's Office said. She was also convicted of child abuse and other related charges. 

Prosecutors added that Nazari was found legally sane when she attacked her children.

The incident happened on Oct. 13, 2023. Prosecutors said Nazari's husband rushed home from work in the Bay Area after receiving a call from Nazari, indicating she had beaten their daughter. 

The daughter, identified by a family friend as Fatima Sana Akram, was found dead in the living room of their apartment at Crown Ridge Apartments. It was then that the husband called 911. 

Prosecutors said Nazari tried to stab her 10-year-old son in the back while he slept. The son screamed and stopped the attack. Hours later, she stabbed Akram to death in front of her son, with neighbors saying they could hear screams coming from the home.

Nazari admitted to detectives that she killed her daughter and tried to kill her son, prosecutors said. The knives she used were recovered. 

She faces multiple life sentences.