Nargis Fakhri's Sister Charged with Murdering Ex-Boyfriend and His Friend: 'You're all going to die today'

Actis Fakhri's sister, Aliya, has been arrested and charged with first-degree murder and other offences for allegedly "deliberately starting a deadly fire" in a garage on November 2, which resulted in the deaths of her ex-boyfriend and his female companion in Queens, New York.

According to the charges and investigation, Aliya arrived at the two-story detached garage around 6:20 AM on November 2 and shouted, "You're all going to die today," before igniting the fire that quickly escalated into a "raging inferno," claiming the lives of 35-year-old Edward Jacobs and 33-year-old Anastasia Ettienne. The Queens district attorney's office reported that Fakhri "allegedly set the fire near the entrance of the building, trapping the two inside with no escape." Both victims succumbed to smoke inhalation and thermal injuries.

Following her arrest, Aliya's mother expressed disbelief, stating she couldn't imagine her daughter committing such an act. "I don’t think she would ever kill anyone. She was always caring and tried to help everyone," she said, also noting that Aliya had been struggling with an opioid addiction.

Queens DA Melinda Katz stated that Aliya Fakhri (43) "maliciously ended the lives of two people." Prosecutors indicated that Anastasia Ettienne realised there was a fire and initially went downstairs but then returned upstairs to try to save Edward Jacobs, who was sleeping, resulting in both of their deaths.

Fakhri has been indicted by a grand jury on four counts of first-degree murder, four counts of second-degree murder, and one count each of first-degree and second-degree arson. If convicted of the top charge, she faces a possible life sentence. Aliya Fakhri is scheduled to return to court on December 9.

Jacobs’ mother, Janet, revealed that her son had broken up with Aliya Fakhri about a year ago, but she continued to pursue a relationship. "Like anyone else experiencing rejection, he was trying to communicate that he was done with the relationship," she stated. Janet added that Aliya “wasn’t accepting the rejection.” The relationship between the victims was reported to be platonic.