Houston – KRPC 2 Investigates first told you about 364 Harris County Criminal Cases that received Brady Violations last month. Friday, we’ve learned one of the cases it’s impacting deals with the death of Abdul Niazi, a former Afghan marine who fought alongside our United States Armed Forces.
Recommended Videos
Niazi was killed in March. The suspect in the case, Masiullah Sahil, was granted a personal recognizance (PR) bond on Thursday afternoon. It could have released him from jail.
KPRC 2 News Corley Peel found Harris County District Attorney (HCDA) prosecutors failed to indict Sahil for homicide before the 90-day deadline. Documents add, “It just didn’t get done.”
“Well, to be honest, it’s really shocking. I mean, it is terrible,” said cousin Rizwanullah Niazi. “I don’t know. I mean, we trust the system, but they’re just playing with our emotions.”
HCDA Sean Teare’s office is investigating the handling of the case because court documents show Sahil admitted to Niazi’s wife that he stabbed her husband to death.
The PR bond would essentially release Sahil from jail for free, but prosecutors added a tampering with evidence charge to the case Thursday. It set the bond at $25,000.
The district attorney’s office began sending out Brady Notices in late May. Out of the 364 cases, 189 are still pending.
The notices came after an internal investigation at the Houston Forensic Science Center (HFSC), where Crime Scene Unit Investigator Katie Busack was terminated for what HFSC called “dishonesty and lack of candor.”
Their investigation found Busack processed a vehicle for evidence and left case notes at the Houston Police Department Property Room.
When Busack’s mangers spoke to her about it, they say she “was dishonest with leadership about the dates of origin.”
Another case these Brady Notices have affected is the 2021 death of 5-year-old Samuel Olson. Recently, Benjamin Rivera pleaded guilty to tampering with evidence by helping his roommate move the boy’s body. Prosecutors believe the Brady Notice will not affect Rivera’s case.