Maher Kassem Tinley Park dad blames money problems for killing wife & daughters at Illinois family home following argument.
‘The money hungry b***h pushed me to do it.’ The Tinley Park, Illinois father who shot and killed his wife and three daughters in the basement of their home during a furious argument over finances has told police money problems were the motivating factor behind his actions.
Maher Kassem, 63, told police he had recently retired after working ‘his whole life’ to give his family a ‘better home’. He said he felt unappreciated by his wife Majeda and daughters Halema and Zahia, 25, and Hanan, 24.
He told police his wife was ‘worried about money and where she could take it’, and complained: ’45 years, 45 years… I worked 45 years and she treated me like a f*****g dog.’
19 year old son witnessed murder of his mother and sisters
The family is believed to have owned a liquor store in the neighborhood.
On Sunday morning, his 19-year-old son, whose life he spared, heard the argument and his father stomping up and down the stairs from the basement.
After hearing the first gunshots, the son rushed down to the basement where he saw his sisters’ bodies lying on the ground.
He then watched his father shoot his mother seven times.
All three daughters were shot in the head. One was also shot in the back, with the bullet exiting her body through her chin.
Maher then phoned 911, telling them has wife ‘had been shot’, but not admitting to carrying out the killings himself.
Once police were at the scene, he gave more details, telling them: ‘I am the only one… I am going to jail.’
Thirteen shell casings were found at the scene along with two weapons – a .38mm revolver and a 9mm semi-automatic pistol.
The pistol was found under the living room coffee table lying next to an empty magazine.
The .38mm revolver was found behind a couch pillow, with four spent shell casings in the cylinder and two live rounds.
Devoted Muslim family
According to prosecutors, the argument was initially between Maher and one of his 25-year-old daughters.
The other daughters and wife later became involved and had been telling him to ‘calm down’ when he exploded.
Come Tuesday, Maher Kassem was charged with four counts of first-degree murder, according to the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office.
The devout Muslim family is now being mourned by the community.
A friend and former colleague of Zahia told the dailymail she had confided in her in the past about her ‘mentally ill’ father.
Friends say the family were devout Muslims and Palestinian activists. Zahia, who also went by Zee, had recently visited Mecca.
Their mother Majeda devoted her life to ‘family and religion’, according to a fundraising site dedicated to completing a mosque in Mali in the family’s memory.
Not immediately clear is to what degree the family had been experiencing difficult financial circumstances and to whether they were financially solvent amid recent instances of domestic violence relating to finances in the US amid heightened money problems.
