Authors: Kelly Knaub
ABC News(EL CAJON, Calif.) -- The Iraqi-American woman who was bludgeoned to death in her El Cajon home and discovered by her 17-year-old daughter last week was buried in her homeland on Saturday, The Los Angeles Times reports.
Shaima Alawadi was a mother of five who had immigrated to the United States over a decade ago to escape the regime of Saddam Hussein. Fatima Al-Himidi, her teenage daughter, found her body, bloody and beaten, in the family's home on March 21, along with a note that said "go back to your country," and called her a terrorist. A similar note had been found taped to their doors several days prior.
Alawadi was taken off life support three days after she was found. El Cajon police have said that the killing is a possible hate crime and that they are investigating other evidence.
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki sent a plane to transport Alawadi's body from Baghdad to Najaf to be buried in a cemetery close to the tomb of the founder of the Shiite faith, Imam Ali.
Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio
