Aliya Fakhri, sister of actress Nargis Fakhri, has been arrested in relation to the horrific deaths of her ex-boyfriend and his friend due to a fire outbreak in Queens, New York, on November 2. Aliya Fakhri, 43 years of age, faces charges of lighting a fire in a garage and killing two individuals, 35-year-old Edward Jacobs and 33-year-old Anastasia Ettienne. According to District Attorney Melinda Katz’s statement, the cause of death were smoke inhalation and thermal injuries.
Aliya and Nargis’ father, Mohammed Fakhri, was a Pakistani, while their mother, Marie Fakhri, is Czech. Aliya’s parents got divorced when she was a child, and shortly after, her father died. According to Aliya’s mother, her daughter has struggled with opioid addiction after a dental mishap which she believes may have led to Aliya’s shocking behaviour.
Aliya is the sister of Nargis Fakhri, an American actress of Pakistani origin who works primarily in Bollywood, gained fame from the movie Rockstar and has also worked in many high profile projects alongside superstars like Ranbir Kapoor, John Abraham, Varun Dhawan, Abhishek Bachchan, Shahid Kapoor among others.
The tragic incident occurred in the Jamaica neighborhood in New York, where Aliya went to her former boyfriends garage and uttered the words “You’re going to die today,” where she pointed to Jacobs, who happens to be sleeping upstairs. A witness who heard the scream came out of his house to find the garage was on fire. The District Attorney’s office said that Ettienne, Jacobs’ friend, ran downstairs when alerted but tried to go back upstairs to save Jacobs. Unfortunately, neither of them survived.
Aliya Fakhri, who lives on Parsons Boulevard in Queens, is being charged with serious crimes that include four counts of first-degree murder, four counts of second-degree murder, and one count each of first-degree and second-degree arson. The charges were brought following a grand jury indictment, and if she is convicted of the most serious charge, Aliya could face life in prison.
While Nargis Fakhri never said anything publicly about this incident, her mother has stood up in her defense, calling out disbelief over the notion that Aliya could be a murderer and has blamed her daughter’s opioid addiction for her erratic behavior. The shocking tragedy has sent the local community into shock as investigations into the cause and circumstances surrounding the fatal fire continue.
