San Jose brothers who allegedly killed their parents at home and wrote cryptic messages on the walls of their home reportedly went to an anime convention in a Oakland afterward, according to court documents.
Twenty-two-year old Hasib Bin Golamrabbi is charged with shooting his father and mother to death in the garage of their home; his brother, 17-year old Omar, is accused of writing the messages and inspecting the crime scene to make sure no blood was visible to neighbors. He will reportedly be tried as an adult.
The duo attended Kraken Con in Oakland after the killings — where they reportedly acted normally, according to police records — and family members who came by to check on 59-year-old Golam Rabbi and 57-year-old Shamima Rabbi after not hearing from them over the weekend found their bodies. The brothers were taken into custody separately on Wednesday and allegedly gave conflicting reports as to exactly what happened; Hasib Bin Golamrabbi reportedly told investigators that he had been forced to shoot his father by an intruder, but his brother says there was no one else in the house.
Investigators say they are uncovering more and more confusing information in the case; while the brothers allegedly wrote the lines “Sorry my first kill was clumsy” on a note and “I can’t be like you telling a lie… I can’t love someone without telling them” on the wall near the bodies, Hasib Bin Golamrabbi says there is more to the story than anyone yet knows.
“I want everyone to know what happened, but I can’t say anything without a lawyer,” he said, adding that his brother is “innocent.”
Hasib Bin Golamrabbi reportedly doesn’t have any prior record of violent crime, and friends of Omar say he was acting normally after the murders and that they can’t believe he could be involved in such a heinous act.
“I know Omar didn’t do anything. He always respected people, and was never a hurtful person, and a real pacifist,” said classmate Alexis Quinones .
The community is mourning the loss of the couple, who attended Evergreen Islamic Center in San Jose. The organization released a statement saying they would be praying for the family.
“Past few days have been very sad and heart-breaking for the Evergreen community. Tragic loss of Br. Golam Rabbi and Sr. Shamima Rabbi have been devastating to the family and the community at large…We ask Allah to forgive the deceased, shower his mercy on them, and make their graves a garden from paradise. We extend our deepest condolences to the family and ask Allah to grant them strength and patience during this most difficult time.”
Both brothers pleaded not guilty to the murder charges at their arraignment, but they waived a preliminary hearing and experts say that usually means a guilty plea is planned.
While the brothers did not give a motive for the killings, sources say it could have come after the parents announced their disapproval for Hasib Bin Golamrabbi’s sexual orientation .
Those close to the family remember a hard-working couple who showed kindness to others; a nephew says they helped him when he moved to the U.S. from Bangladesh. Although he didn’t speculate on what the motive for the killing might be, he says there was never any tension between the Rabbi elders and their sons to his knowledge.
“They not only brought us here, they also brought us food and shelter — at least until we found our means to survive — and displayed this same kindness to other families in the United States,” said Golam Mustakim. “Any tension was completely out of my knowledge,” he said. “They were quiet, nice children. They always got along with their parents.”
[Photo by Larry W. Smith/Stringer for Getty Images]
