Suspect in 5 Slayings Reportedly Was Upset Over Divorce Action

The man arrested in the slayings of his Jordanian wife and four of her relatives at their Fletcher Hills home here Saturday had been despondent over her plans to divorce him and return to her homeland, police said Sunday.

Lt. Bob Moreau said the suspect, Tufic (Tom) Badih Naddi, 44, a card club dealer, and his wife, Aida Naddi, had been experiencing “ongoing domestic problems for quite some time” and that Mrs. Naddi had filed for a divorce on Friday.

Moreau added that Mrs. Naddi’s father, Habib Sabbagh, disapproved of the marriage and had long threatened to send his daughter back to Jordan.

“Apparently, the suspect’s two brothers-in-law arrived at the home with Mr. and Mrs. Sabbagh on Friday and had intended to take the suspect’s wife back to Jordan with them,” Moreau said. “The suspect apparently had contemplated the crime for some time and decided it was ‘time to do what he had to do.’ ”

Peaceful Surrender

Naddi surrendered without a struggle in the driveway of his yellow stucco home on Carlow Way on Saturday evening. Inside, investigators found the bodies of his wife, 26; her father, Habib Sabbagh, 73; her mother, Lillian Sabbagh, 58; her brother, Michael Sabbagh, 38, and her brother-in-law, Osama Mashini, 38.

Each of the five victims had been shot several times with a .22-caliber rifle, authorities said. Four of the victims apparently were taking naps when they were assaulted, and the fifth was watching television.

The Naddis’ 5-year-old son, Nabil, and 3-year-old daughter, Katherine, were playing in the driveway when police arrived at the house. The children were unharmed. They are temporarily staying with close friends of the family. Naddi is being held without bail at the San Diego County Jail on suspicion of five counts of murder.

El Cajon police Officer Rich Day said he received a phone call at 5:30 p.m. Saturday from a man who identified himself as “Tom” and said that he had “just murdered my family.”

Day engaged the man in conversation while police surrounded the house and removed the children from the driveway; eventually, Day persuaded Naddi to leave the house and surrender. Clad in pajamas, Naddi emerged from the house with his hands over his head just after 6 p.m.