Mohammed Salem was captured Tuesday, March 5 2024 afternoon after evading police.
Documents filed with the court provide a clearer understanding of the horrific attack on 69-year old Hakem Salem that led to the dramatic arrest of his son Mohammed for murder earlier this week.
According to police reports, it was Mohammed’s brother who called 911 just before 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday to report that he and his father had just been attacked.
When responding officers arrived at the Estate Lerkenlund residence, they found Hakem lying in the driveway, with a trail of blood leading back to one of the bedrooms. The father bore a large laceration on the right side of his throat, and he appeared to have suffered several puncture wounds to his upper body.
Despite the best efforts of emergency medical technicians, Hakem Salem was determined not to have any signs of life about a half hour following the initial emergency call.
The brother told police that he had been preparing to leave for work when Mohammed approached him with something concealed under his arm. That something turned out to be a large knife, which Mohammed began swinging at his brother. The brother said he fought his sibling off, deflecting the knife away.
In the midst of the struggle, the brother said he saw their father Hakem approaching them, and shouted to him to run away. Mohammed also saw their father and turned his attention to the older man, stabbing him repeatedly with the large knife as his brother could only watch in horror.
After the unprovoked attack, Mohammed reportedly fled wearing just a pair of grey shorts. He was captured sometime later after jumping into the waters of Hull Bay.
This is not the first time Mohammed Salem has attacked his father. In March of 2019, he was sentenced to five years in prison with credit for time served after pleading no contest to a charge of third-degree assault as a crime of domestic violence. The plea deal resulted in the pending attempted murder charge, as well as more serious counts of assault, being dropped.
In November 2023, Hakem Salem petitioned the court for a restraining order against his son after incidents of domestic violence in the preceding months. The resulting order of protection, which was valid for 18 months and in force at the time of his father’s murder, reportedly prohibited Mohammed Salem from carrying a dangerous weapon.
In connection with his attack on his father, Mohammed Salem is being charged with first and second-degree murder, first and third-degree assault as crimes of domestic violence, use of a dangerous or deadly weapon during a crime of violence, and violation of a domestic violence restraining order.
He is also being charged with additional counts of first and third-degree assault, using a deadly weapon during a crime of violence, and brandishing a deadly weapon in a fight, for his attack on his brother.
Mohammed Salem appeared in court on Wednesday for his initial advice of rights hearing, however the matter was pushed back to an undetermined date to allow for a psychological evaluation to take place. He remains in the custody of the Bureau of Corrections until such time.
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