A 52-year-old pediatrician was stabbed to death in Conroe, Texas on Saturday (October 28), a tragedy that has shocked the community as the doctor was a much-loved member of the society. The motive behind this “completely unexpected” crime is not yet clear. The assailant, Miles Joseph Fridrich (24) has been arrested and charged with first-degree murder.
Dr Talat Jehan Khan, a mother of two, was just sitting with her dog outside her apartment when Fridrich stabbed her multiple times, said police according to reports in local media.
“This is an immeasurable loss for our family, completely unexpected,” said Khan’s niece Mahnoor Mangrio as quoted by KHOU, a local television station.
“She’s a Muslim, strong in her faith, those are identifiable traits about her. She’s extremely loving, kind. She was my aunt … the best aunt.”
It was not immediately clear why did Fridrich kill her. He reportedly attacked her around 12:30 pm at the Alys Apartments and then fled on foot. Khan died on the spot. The killer was later arrested based on a description provided by witnesses of the crime.
KHOU quoted a suspect who said Fridrich “came out of nowhere”
“I was outside and I heard a woman out there, and I heard that she was screaming,” the witness told the station. “She was sitting at the picnic table.”
“She liked to see the sun and warm weather, so that was one of the main reasons why she moved here,” said Wajahat Nyaz, brother of Dr Khan told television channel KPRC as he described why she moved to Texas from Seattle.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations in Houston has released a statement about the crime and has said that “paying very close attention” to the investigation.
“We are unsure at this moment if this was a hate crime, however given the tragic circumstances, we are paying very close attention to the investigation,” said the statement.
“We will continue to monitor the situation while we launch our own investigation and continue established dialogue with law enforcement.”
Dr Khan has left behind a 14-year-old daughter and a 23-year-old son.
“Her kids and her kids she looked after as a pediatrician were her entire life,” Nyaz also said. “Everything in her life revolved around those two things.”
The family does not think that Dr Khan and Fridrich knew each other.
According to KPRC, Fridrich has previously faced drug and weapon charges, but they were later dismissed or disposed of.
