North Hills man who stabbed his wife and shot his son is found guilty of murder

A North Hills man was found guilty of fatally stabbing his wife then shooting his son to death in what prosecutors described as a hate crime, according to the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office. 

On Sept. 28, Shehada Khalil Issa, 69, was found guilty of two counts of willful, deliberate and premeditated murder for killing his wife, Rabihah Shibli Issa, 68, and his son, Amier Rocky Issa, 38. Jurors also found true the special circumstance allegation of multiple murders as well use of a knife and a shotgun to commit the crime. 

Between March 27 and 29, 2016, Shehada Issa killed his wife with a knife inside their home, according to prosecutors. On March 29, 2016, he used a gun to kill his son, prosecutors said. 

When police arrived at the family’s home, officers found the son’s body outside and the mother’s body was found inside a bathroom, according to evidence presented at trial. 

Police said the father admitted to shooting his son with a shotgun, but said that it was in self-defense. His defense attorney argued that Amier Issa had killed his mother and threatened to kill his father with a knife, causing Issa to shoot his son in self-defense. 

Detectives said Shehada’s story did not match with evidence at the scene, saying there was no knife found near his son’s body. Prosecutors said the murders were motivated by Shehada Issa’s desire to sell the house that they all shared and an extreme hatred of his son’s sexuality. 

Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 26. 

Contact the Homicide Report. Follow @jeromercampbell and @latimeshomicide on Twitter.