Man indicted for murder after burning partner to death

Nashed Taher Basul accused of imprisoning, assaulting and finally burning to death mother of his son who converted to Islam for him, after she threatened to leave him

Ahiya Raved|Published: 10.06.11 , 18:24

An indictment for murder was filed on Thursday with the Nazareth District Court. Nashed Taher Basul, 57, from the town of Rayne, is accused of burning his partner, the mother of his son, to death because she wanted to leave him.

In 1993 Basul met Natalya Narmian Budishan, a Jewish woman from Uzbekistan who later converted to Islam for him and changed her name to Narmian. In 2001 the couple had a son together yet they never married and Basul continued to live with his wife in Rayne.

Budishan lived in an apartment in Nazareth Illit paid for by the defendant. According to the indictment, she was in fact a prisoner in her own home. The indictment revealed that Basul installed bars on the apartment's windows and would not allow Natalya to leave it during the day. She did not have a key for the apartment.

Prosecutor Gil Dvir from the Northern District Prosecutor's Office claimed that tensions in the relationship were evident several months before the murder over Budishan's wish to leave Basul and work outside the home.

"Narmian changed her usual traditional clothes for modern clothes. The defendant demanded that she not speak to strange men and in one case even called her a liar and slapped her," the indictment stated.

In September, the defendant invited Narmian to go out with him to a hotel in Afula for a drink. The indictment states that this is when the defendant decided to kill Narmian. On their way home from their night out Basul set the Mazda van they were driving on fire while Budishan was seated in the front seat.

Later, Basul waited for a long period of time before calling rescue services that were left with no choice but to declare Budishan dead at the scene. In addition to the murder charge, Basul is also accused of false imprisonment and aggravated assault.

The prosecution also motioned to remand Basul until the end of legal proceedings against him.