Harris County deputy shook hands with his alleged murderer 15 minutes before: court records
HARRIS COUNTY, Texas - Athir Samir Murady has been officially charged with murder for the death of Harris County Precinct 4 Constable Deputy Maher Husseini and new details have emerged in the case.
Murady, 40, appeared in a Galveston court on Thursday where his bond was denied.
Husseini was shot and killed on his way to work in the 8900 block of Richmond Avenue and Fondren Road. Court documents claim Murady allegedly walked up to Husseini's vehicle and shot into his car multiple times.
According to sources close to the investigation, Husseini had a dash camera in his vehicle which reportedly captured his murder.
Athir Murady in Galveston court
A witness who was stopped at a red light at the intersection told police she saw the suspect get out of his vehicle, walk around her car, up to Husseini's vehicle and shoot into it. She claims he went back into his car to move it into a parking lot and then walked back to Husseini's car to fire several more shots into it. Husseini's dashcam also showed this.
According to an autopsy, Hussini was shot 13 times with five shots to the head and seven shots to the left shoulder and chest area.
Around 10 to 15 minutes before the shooting, however, documents say the dash camera caught Husseini and Murady shaking hands and having a cordial interaction for several minutes in a parking lot at 3300 South Gessner.
Murady appeared to follow Husseini after he left the parking lot for about one mile before they came to the red light at Fondren Road where the shooting occurred, police report.
After the deadly shooting, the suspect left the scene and was seen on Flock camera system to be in League City, records show. An off-duty Galveston County Sheriff's Office Marshall saw the suspect's vehicle in Galvesston and Galveston Police Department was notified. An officer attempted to conduct a traffic stop on the car, but the driver refused to stop and a chase began.
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After a short while, Murady's drove his vehicle off a dead-end street into the water by Old Causeway in Galveston. He was able to get out of the sinking vehicle and swim away from officers.
Galveston law enforcement and a GPD K9 Dan rode on a boat to where Murady was floating to rescue him from the water. Authorities report Murady resisted arrest and was bit by K9 Dan before he was ranked into custody.
He was taken to University of Texas Medical Branch to be treated for his injuries. While there, he was fingerprinted and it was discovered he matched an arrest record from January 2024 in Farmers Branch, Texas near Dallas/Fort Worth area.
Records state both Husseini and Murady had their own security companies. While visiting the physical address of Corporal Husseini’s business, we spotted business partners and detectives.
Harris County hasn’t contacted Galveston County yet about a transfer back, according to court officials.