Shaima Alawadi was murdered on March 21, 2012 in El Cajon, California in Greater San Diego. She was a 32-year-old American citizen who had emigrated from Iraq in the early 1990s.[1] She was beaten to death in her home. Although her death was initially seen as a hate crime,[2] her 48-year-old husband was eventually charged with killing her.[3] He was convicted of murder and sentenced to 26 years to life in prison.[4]