Zanoor Jaffari of Brentwood held after being charged with fatal stabbing of wife, 2-year-old daughter
A Brentwood father of two stabbed his wife and 2-year-old daughter to death with a knife inside their home Sunday afternoon after suffering a possible medical episode that may have been from a drug overdose, Suffolk County police and prosecutors said.
Zanoor Jaffari, 31, was arrested at around 4:40 p.m. in his Jefferson Avenue home, after being found covered in the blood of his wife, Misbah Batool, 33, and their daughter, Iazia Zanoor, officials said.
The couple's 5-year-old son was found by police in the house uninjured, authorities said.
Jaffari pleaded not guilty at his arraignment Monday afternoon at First District Court in Central Islip to two counts of second-degree murder and was held without bail. If convicted he faces consecutive sentences of 25 years to life in prison for each killing.
Lawrence Carra, Jaffari's Mineola-based defense attorney, described his client as "a loving and compassionate father … He loved his wife. He interacted always with his children in a sincere and fatherly fashion. And, in essence, the events themselves are somewhat inexplicable."
Carra said he is requesting a hearing to determine Jaffari's mental competence and fitness to stand trial.
"We will be reviewing the evidence to determine where it takes us," he said.
Nearly a dozen members of the suspect's family attended Monday's arraignment but declined to speak with reporters.
Prosecutors said Jaffari, who is originally from Pakistan and was in the process of moving to Brentwood from Brooklyn, had an argument with his wife shortly before the murders.
Another family member called 911 after the stabbings and police found Jaffari covered in blood but with no obvious physical injuries, prosecutors said. The murder weapon was recovered and Jaffari's clothes are being tested for DNA, authorities said.
Batool, who was stabbed multiple times in the torso, and Iazia, who was stabbed in the chest, were taken to South Shore University Hospital in Bay Shore, where they were both pronounced dead, according to criminal charging documents.
Jaffari was taken to Good Samaritan University Hospital in West Islip for a medical evaluation and released into police custody. Police say he was having a medical episode when police found him.
"When the patrol units arrived on scene, we had the female victim and the child with significant stab wounds," John Rowan, chief of detectives at the Suffolk County Police Department, said in a news conference Monday morning outside of police headquarters in Yaphank. "The male … was having a medical emergency, which exhibited signs of a possible overdose and medical care was provided to him."
Tricia Green, who lived next door to the family, said: "It's really very sad … It's very tragic. I wouldn't have ever suspected this."
In court Tuesday, prosecutors twice said Jaffari has a history of domestic violence but the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office later rescinded those claims without explanation.
Jaffari is due back in court on Aug. 16.
With Steve Langford
Robert Brodsky is a breaking news reporter who has worked at Newsday since 2011. He is a Queens College and American University alum.
