Iraqi man's murder trial now in hands of Ariz jury

PHOENIX – The murder trial of an Iraqi immigrant accused of fatally running down his daughter with an SUV in 2009 is in the hands of an Arizona jury.

A Maricopa County Superior Court jury is scheduled to begin deliberations Tuesday after getting the case Monday.

Prosecutors accuse 50-year-old Faleh Almaleki of intentionally targeting his daughter because she had brought the family dishonor by becoming too Westernized.

Defense attorneys argue that Almaleki ran over his 20-year-old daughter, Noor, and injured her 41-year-old friend by accident. The victims were run over in October 2009 in a Peoria parking lot. The older woman survived.

Almaleki chose not to testify in his trial. He pleaded not guilty to charges of first-degree murder, attempted murder, aggravated assault and leaving the scene of an accident.