Ali Elmezayen, a husband and father of three, was charged with murder after prosecutors claim he drove his family off a Los Angeles Pier, killing his two sons who were severely autistic. Elmezayen currently faces one count of attempted murder and two counts of murder, with a specific allegation that there was a financial motive behind these killings.
According to investigators, Elmezayen has been plotting this scheme for over two years, by purchasing over 6 million dollars’ worth of life insurance policies on his wife, his children, and himself. According to the witnesses on the scene, the tires on the vehicle screeched loudly and the vehicle accelerated before it drove off the pier and immediately sunk in the water.
Very quickly after the crash, Elmezayen surfaced after swimming out of his already-opened driver-side window. His wife, Rabib Diab, also surfaced and was rescued by a nearby fisherman. The two boys, however, were strapped in child seats and were unable to escape and drowned. Following their deaths, Elmezayen collected over $260,000 from insurance proceeds.
Elmezayen is currently in federal custody on insurance fraud charges, but once this case is complete, he will be tried on the murder charges.