An Ohio man accused of strangling his ex-wife and burying her remains in front of the couple’s toddler son has been sentenced to 25 years in prison.
Fahad Saeed, 28, pleaded guilty on Thursday to charges including involuntary manslaughter as part of a deal with prosecutors.
In exchange for his admission of guilt, the prosecution agreed to drop an aggravated murder charge carrying a life sentence.
Saeed’s ex-wife, 25-year-old Roaa Al-Dhannoon, disappeared in October 2016. Her remains were found in May 2017 in a wooded area across from a Cleveland-area amusement park.
Assistant Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Blaise Thomas said the couple’s three-year-old son told investigators that his mother was ‘near the horses,’ an apparent reference to the park’s carousel.
Prosecutors say Saeed drew a map to the woman’s body while he was jailed for violating a protective order. He gave the map to another inmate, who handed it over to investigators.
When given a chance to speak at his sentencing on Thursday, Saeed said through an Arabic interpreter of his ex-wife’s killing, ‘Things happen.’
Upon serving out his prison sentence, Saeed, who is an Iraqi national residing in the US on a green card visa, will face deportation.