The funeral prayers of American-Pakistani pediatrician Dr Talat Jahan Khan, who was brutally stabbed to death in his apartment complex in Conroe in the US state of Texas, took place in Houston on Wednesday.
Hundreds of mourners, including the deceased’s husband, son, daughter and brother Wajahat Khan as well as Pakistan’s Consul General in Houston Aftab Chaudhary, attended the funeral.
An emotional prayer meeting was held at the Hamza Mosque in Houston, in which the tears and sorrow of the people present were clearly visible.
A 52-year-old Karachi native lost her life in a horrific stabbing incident in front of her Conroe apartment, and the suspect, 24-year-old Joseph Fridich, was later arrested.
Eyewitnesses said that the attacker also checked the victim’s pulse after the attack, which made the situation even more frightening. The motive for the crime is unclear, although there is a prevailing belief that it may have been a hate crime, and the suspect is suspected to be mentally unstable.
Dr. Khan had relocated to Houston with her 14-year-old daughter just two months before the tragedy, while her husband remained in Seattle with their son. She was a graduate from Sindh Medical College in 1996 and was practicing as a pediatrician in a renowned children’s hospital.
After the funeral prayers, Dr Khan’s brother Wajahat described his sister as a charitable and compassionate person, and stressed the family’s desire for justice.
The deceased’s body will be flown to his previous residence in Seattle, reflecting his recent move to Houston to live with his daughter.
Man charged with murder in Texas
A man has been charged with first-degree murder on Monday after his involvement in the brutal stabbing death of an American-Pakistani pediatrician in Conroe, Texas.
Law enforcement officials suspect that 24-year-old Miles Joseph Fridrich was responsible for the grisly murder that occurred at 12:30 a.m. on Saturday, when 52-year-old Dr. Talat Jahan Khan was repeatedly stabbed in the common area of his apartment complex, Ellis Apartments. Was stabbed.
Friedrich’s bond was set at $500,000.
According to Khan’s family, she moved into the Ellis Apartments on Mansion View Drive with her 14-year-old daughter in July and was working at Texas Children’s Pediatrics Conroe, ABC13 reported.
Khan’s brother Wajahat Nayaaz said, “Everything in her life revolved around those two things, her children – her son and daughter – and her children who she looked after as a pediatrician.” Nyaz called her sister a “kindred spirit”.
While several of Khan’s neighbors witnessed the attack, including several children, a neighbor who attempted to stop the suspect recalled the incident to Eyewitness News.
Matthew Amador, Khan’s neighbor who works as a firefighter, said that when he realized what was happening he grabbed his katana sword and ran after the suspect, Frederick.
“I said, ‘Hey, what are you doing?’ And kind of scared him,” he said. “(It didn’t look like he was there, or was a person, blank face, really dark, you know, with an evil look in his eyes.
“He was already gone three times before I got there and when I got there, he was checking her pulse to make sure she was alive and then stabbed her three more times,” Amador said.
According to NBC’s Click2Houston, about 17 people came out of their homes carrying guns. Amador said police arrived immediately.
“I started yelling descriptions, tall white boy, purple shirt, tall white boy, purple shirt!” He said.
However, Conroe police caught the suspect and took him into custody.
Amador said he had never seen Frederick before the attack, leaving the suspect’s relationship to Khan unclear.
