For most of us, it is unbearable to think about losing our spouse and two young sons. And that’s what happened to Kashif Hamza Hassan on August 11, 2011. This day, Kashif, his wife, Nazish, and their two-year-old son were attacked by numerous shots fired.
Nazish died on the spot while Kashif covered his son’s stroller with his back to stop the bullets from hurting him.
In a split second, this tragedy forever changed the life of Kashif. His world was shattered as he was a happy and beloved husband and father, and next is this unimaginable grief.
And then the unthinkable happened the police charged Kashif for conspiracy and murder. They were convinced this respected Pakistan’s architect and structural engineer killed his wife.
They believed he planned everything even though there was no conclusive evidence against him. Unfortunately, the jury found him guilty and sentenced him to life in prison.
It didn’t matter that Kashif had no motive to kill his wife, and there was no objective evidence to support the prosecution theory.
For instance, they tested him for gunshot residue on his hands during his hospital stay. The results were released almost a year later and showed that he never fired any firearm.
Additionally, while Kashif was treated for the attack’s injuries, one of the detectives questioned him. The police officer stated that he confessed, but there is no record. A year later, the same officer changed his report and destroyed the case notes, which police must file according to the attorney general guidelines.
It’s also vital to pinpoint that Kashif suffered several gunshot wounds and required eight surgeries and extensive hours of therapy to recover.
A police officer said that Kashif was in pain and agony at the shooting scene. He treated him as a victim. Eighteen months later, he changed his report to what the prosecutor’s attorney wanted for unknown reasons.
However, the most vital evidence is that the police found the killer. A “family friend” testified in court that she was guilty of attempting to kill Kashif and his son and murdered Nazish. She confessed she was in love with Kashif and was angry that he never reciprocated her feelings. That he never pursued a romantic relationship with her.
As it’s common in these high-profile cases, she was offered a minor sentence if she testified against Kashif.
She told the police that Kashif ordered her to kill his wife and injured him and his son. Her life sentence was reduced to 30 years in exchange for this false testimony, while Kashif received a life sentence in prison.
Kashif has emphatically and persistently maintained his innocence of these accusations for more than ten years. He is convinced that being a Muslim and of Pakistani descent in Morristown, NJ, a predominantly white town, was crucial for his conviction.
Now he is waiting for an appeal.
Thanks to his paralegal studies, he’s ready to tell the world about the resistance he has endured to clear his name and get justice for himself, his sons, and especially for his adored Nazish.