- A Texas man was found guilty of murdering his wife who wanted to get a divorce the day after they tied the knot.
- Tareq Alkayyali was sentenced to 23 years in prison on Friday.
- Officials said he killed his wife, Wasam Moussa, during a visit to the US in 2019.
A 39-year-old Texas man was found guilty of killing his wife, who asked to get a divorce the day after they got married, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported.
Tareq Alkayyali was sentenced to 23 years in prison on Friday for murdering his spouse, identified as Wasam Moussa, the Tarrant County District Attorney's Office said in a news release on Facebook, noting that an autopsy revealed that her cause of death was asphyxiation.
Before their wedding in 2018, Moussa was skeptical about marrying Alkayali "in their home country of Jordan," according to the Star-Telegram. The day after they got married, Moussa wanted a divorce.
According to the news release, the 23-year-old went back to her family home while Moussa returned to his residence in Arlington, Texas, for work. Officials said Alkayyali had an affair with his coworker during their time apart.
When Moussa visited the US in May 2019, the couple had heated arguments and fights regarding divorce.
Moussa "told her brother that, during one of their fights, Alkayyali covered her mouth with his hand," the news release said. "The night before Wasam died, Alkayyali googled how to get his wife deported."
As the Star-Telegram reported, Moussa was discovered unconscious in their Texas apartment that month. Police took Alkayyai into custody after finding him outside.
Moussa's brother, Ahmad Ali, told the outlet in an emailed statement in 2019 that she came to the states to "give her husband a chance to make a life for her family," but added that she was "afraid of him."