Police: Washington Woman, Husband Killed by Stalker Who Listened to Her Podcast

Amy Furr

A couple in Redmond, Washington, was killed Friday morning, allegedly by a 38-year-old Texas truck driver who apparently stalked the woman after they met online in a group for people who speak Farsi.

Redmond police chief Darrell Lowe said it was the “absolute worst outcome for a stalking case” and everyone’s worst nightmare, NBC News reported Friday.

Officials identified the alleged shooter as Ramin Khodakaramrezaei, whom they say broke into the family’s home via a bedroom window.

An image shows the suspect:

When the shooter made it into the house, the woman’s mother came upon him. However, she got away and ran to a neighbor’s home, where she called 911 to alert authorities.

Officers eventually found the husband suffering from a gunshot wound to the chest. They performed CPR on him; nonetheless, he died. Meanwhile, they also found the 33-year-old woman, who was dead, along with the shooter, inside the house. The shooter died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Video footage shows police vehicles and crime scene tape around the home in Redmond, which is near Seattle:

The suspect apparently got to know the woman through her podcast, and the pair developed some kind of friendship.

The man later started bombarding her with messages, so she broke off the relationship. The woman also filed a no-contact order against him when the situation escalated, according to CNN.

“In one of the reports, she reported over 100 contacts in a single day. There were instances where the individual did show up at the (home) previously bearing gifts,” Lowe explained.

A photo shows the exterior and interior of the house where the shootings occurred:

The family used every method to try to protect themselves from the alleged stalker.

“King County District Court records show that Khodakaramrezaei was charged with one count of misdemeanor stalking and two counts of telephone harassment on March 2, the same day a bench warrant was issued for his arrest,” the NBC report said.

A temporary protection order was then issued against the suspect, and a hearing was scheduled regarding a full order.

The suspect did not attend the hearing but was ordered to hand over his weapons. However, as the man’s home is in Texas, law enforcement could not serve the order because they could not make contact with the man, per a law enforcement spokesperson.

Meanwhile, Lowe said he did not want to create a “false sense of security” because someone was able to get a restraining order or protective order.

“A restraining order is simply a piece of paper that allows officers to take enforcement actions should a suspect violate the court order, but a piece of paper does not protect a person when someone is intent on causing them harm,” he commented.

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