DEPEW, NY (WKBW) — Erie County District Attorney John Flynn announcing the arraignment Monday night of Sayed Nasir, 38, of Depew.
Nasir was arraigned before a Depew Village Justice on the following charges:
- One count of Murder in the Second Degree (Class “A-I” felony)
- One count of Burglary in the First Degree (Class “B” felony)
- One count of Aggravated Criminal Contempt (Class “D” felony)
DA Flynn says it is “alleged that on November 20, 2021, at approximately 4:30 p.m., the defendant unlawfully entered the home of his ex-wife, knowingly in violation of a no-contact order of protection, on North Creek Drive in the Village of Depew.”
"There was an order of protection that was in place already on the defendant to not go near his wife. Obviously, he allegedly violated that as well by murdering her and stabbing her multiple times, Erie County district attorney, John Flynn said. "The defendant/estranged husband came over to the house, in Depew. The brother-in-law was upstairs and he heard a scream. When he went downstairs, he found the victim lying on the floor with blood coming out of her mouth. He then looked outside and saw the defendant running toward a car."
Flynn said her brother-in-law was unable to get a hold of him at that point and then called police.
"He ran outside and ran after the defendant and the defendant allegedly got into his car and took off before the brother-in-law could get to him. 9-1-1 was called. A be-on-the-lookout was called- a BOLO was issued for the defendant and and the white car," Flynn said. About three hours later, the Amherst Police Department pulled over the defendant on transit road."
University at Buffalo Department of Global Gender and Sexuality Studies professor, Dr. Kari Winter, PhD said, "I believe that we as a society in Western New York have failed and that we are indicted by the fact that Nazeefa D. Tahir is no longer alive. She ought to be alive and we ought to have offered her resources and adequate protection."
UB professor and domestic violence expert, Dr. Kari Winter, said domestic violence in Western New York is at an overwhelming number, and the same goes for other parts of the world.
"I think it's really important to realize the statistics are just stunning. According to the World Economic Forum in the United Nations, six women are killed by men every hour," Dr. Winter said. "More than half of women and girls who are killed- are killed by current or previous partners."
She said it is important for the public to be aware of how common these domestic violence cases are.
"The scholar, Rachel Schneider says we really should be calling intimate partner terrorism because it truly is a state of terrorism. I would really encourage people to read books like her book, "Noticeable Bruises". One of the things we learned from that book is that the most dangerous time for women is actually when they are trying to leave. In the first year they have actually left a partner, the risk of homicide actually goes up. We can see that in this case, Dr. Winter said.
The woman's body was found Saturday afternoonin her North Creek home.
Nasir is scheduled to return to court Friday at 10 a.m. for a felony hearing. He’s currently being held without bail
In a separate court appearance, Nasir was also arraigned on a violation of probation Monday afternoon before State Supreme Court Justice Mark A. Montour.
He is accused of violating a five-year ‘no-contact order of protection' that was issued for his ex-wife following “a previous domestic violence-related conviction.”
That incident occurred back on May 8, 2021, when police responded to a home on North Creek Drive in the Village of Depew for a reported domestic incident. The defendant admitted to unlawfully entering the home where he engaged in physical contact with the female victim during an argument.
In October the defendant pleaded guilty to one count of Criminal Trespass in the Second Degree (Class “A” misdemeanor) and was sentenced to three years of probation and ordered to participate in a 26-week domestic violence program.
The DA’s says as part of the sentence, a no-contact order of protection was issued for the victim, which remained in effect until October 2026.
Justice Montour remanded the defendant without bail. Nasir is scheduled to return on this case on Monday, December 13 at 9:30 a.m.
