ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Muhammad Syed came here from Afghanistan six years ago, but it didn’t take long for him to rack up a criminal record in New Mexico. Syed has been arrested for battery and domestic violence dating back to 2017.
On Tuesday, his wife and daughter said he’s not responsible for the murders. “I believe they will release my father. He didn’t do anything,” said Lubna Syed, Muhammad Syed’s daughter.
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Muhammad Syed’s wife and daughter got emotional talking about him from their southeast Albuquerque home. “I know he is in custody, but I don’t think it’s true. I heard the news. I was just checking the news, but I don’t think it’s true,” said Lubna Syed.
His daughter says he is a truck driver but hasn’t been driving for a company in a long time. KRQE News 13 looked into Syed’s criminal past and found his first charge came in 2017, one year after he arrived here from Afghanistan.
He was arrested for battery after police say he attacked his daughters boyfriend because he didn’t agree with the relationship. That case was dismissed.
A year later, Syed is accused of arguing with his wife while she drove. He then pulled her out of the car by her hair. That case was dismissed.
That same year, Syed’s son called police and said his father was hitting him and his mother with a large metal spoon. He said his father routinely beat them both. That case was also dismissed.
Despite all of this, his family doesn’t believe he’s responsible for the murders. However, they said they did know 3 of the victims. Syed’s neighbors told News 13 there is a lot of traffic at the house, and police have been called multiple times in the past.