Evidence That The Murder of Aqsa Parvez Was Pre-meditated

Muhammed Parvez faces second degree murder charges for strangling his daughter, Asqa, on Monday. But prosecutors continue to interview her friends and have the option of raising the charge to first degree, if there is enough evidence that the murder was pre-meditated. There is some evidence of pre-meditation:

“She got threatened by her father and her brother,” said Dominiquia Holmes-Thompson, who had known Aqsa since the two entered high school. “He said that if she leaves, he would kill her.”

Comments from friends to the media also revealed that when Asqa would spot her brother on the street, she would scramble to put on her hibjab, saying,"He'll kill me."

But it is unlikely that the charge will be raised to first degree murder because the standard of proof "beyond a reasonable doubt" is so high. The fact that Asqa had gone home to get her belongings when she was killed by her father on Monday morning, could be used by the defense to raise doubt in a jury's mind about how seriously the advance threats to kill her should be taken.