A Bloomfield, NJ man is scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday morning for the murder of his estranged wife, who was found slain in her Montclair apartment on the Fourth of July.
The arraignment of Khalid Khan, 42, for the murder of Shazmina Khan, 31, will be conducted by Superior Court Judge Peter Vazquez in Newark.
An autopsy Tuesday found that the victim’s “preliminary cause of death was sharp force injury to neck,” according to Kathy Carter, the spokesperson for the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office.
Authorities arrested Khalid Khan Monday, the Fourth of July, for the homicide of Shazmina, who was found dead in her bath tub in her apartment on Wheeler Street near Glenfield Park in Montclair. This is believed to be the first murder in Montclair this year.
Although there was a history of prior domestic complaints involving Khan and his wife, Carter said Tuesday that Shazmina did not have a restraining order against her husband. The husband had been arrested for simple assault once, but was not convicted.
The troubled couple had been separated since 2009. The defendant, who is originally from Kenya, is being held on $1.5 million bail. In addition to murder, Khan has been charged with weapons offenses.
Shazmina Khan reportedly worked at Jefferson’s Cafรฉ and a laundromat right next to it, both on Maple Avenue, not far from her apartment.
The couple’s 8-year-old daughter Samara, who attends the Charles H. Bullock Elementary School, was in the apartment when her mother was killed. She is the one that sought help from the neighbor who discovered the body. The child woke up and couldn’t find her mother, so she went downstairs and told Margo Garrett, who came up and found the corpse in the tub at 12:30 a.m. Monday.
Samara is now in the custody of the state Department of Youth and Family Services, according to Carter.
The Bullock School will make its school counselor available to meet with any of the second grade classmates of Samara.
In an email to Bullock parents, Principal Barbara Weller said the counselor, Linda Lendman, will be available at the Bullock School at 55 Washington St. from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday and Friday. Parents who want to bring their child in for either session are asked to email Weller or Lendman in advance at bweller@montclair.k12.nj.us or llendman@montclair.k12.nj.us.
“We know it may be difficult for families to talk with children about such a sad and complicated event,” Weller stated in her email, “Even as an adult, you may need help with your own grief and uncertainty.”
“While our school-based counseling will be focused on helping our students, Ms. Lendman is available to speak to you about your needs and to provide you with a list of community resources,” Weller stated in her message.
Kenyan man to be arraigned for estranged wife’s murder in New Jersey
