Editor’s note: Court records show Skyler Williams and Daniel Richter pleaded guilty to manslaughter. Their pleas have been corrected in this story. We apologize for the error.
BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) — The trial for a Baton Rouge man accused of a murder-for-hire plot to kill his ex-wife begins Monday, Aug. 7.
Hamid Ghassemi, 72, of Baton Rouge faces a first-degree murder charge years after his ex-wife, Tahereh Ghassemi, 54, was found dead in St. Helena Parish.
Deputies were called to investigate Tahereh’s disappearance on April 13, 2015, after her car was reportedly found burned. Hamid was identified by the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office as a person of interest in the case.
Tahereh’s body was reportedly found on May 16, 2015, with a single gunshot wound in a wooded area.
Four total suspects were identified in the case — Hamid, Tyler Ashpaugh, 28; Skyler Williams, 25; and Daniel Richter, 41.
Ashpaugh, who was found dead in Angola in January, reportedly had told investigators that Hamid paid $10,000 to kill his ex. Arrest documents said Tahereh was shot sometime between her abduction and burial in St. Helena Parish.
Court records show Williams and Richter pleaded guilty to manslaughter.
