Riza Jafari was sentenced to 10 years in prison for his role in the June 17, 2024, fatal stabbing of Fred Sangan, 40, in Burnaby, British Columbia. Jafari's wife, Hatice Haydari, has pleaded guilty to manslaughter and awaits sentencing. The attack occurred after Sangan allegedly shared intimate photos and videos of Haydari, with whom he had an extramarital affair, with her family members.
According to a court ruling, Sangan and his fiancée, Sophia Soltani, reportedly created a fake social media account in Haydari's name to distribute the explicit material. Haydari sought assistance from the police but received none. Jafari also attempted to resolve the matter by meeting with Soltani, but the meeting was unsuccessful.
On the day of the killing, Haydari agreed to meet Sangan to retrieve the photos and videos and to stop what the court described as a campaign to shame her. Jafari accompanied her, and both brought kitchen knives concealed on their persons. Haydari entered Sangan's vehicle alone while Jafari waited nearby.
During the encounter, Haydari took Sangan's cellphone and threw it out of the vehicle. The court noted that Sangan responded by slapping Haydari and grabbing her face and neck. Witnessing the altercation, Jafari approached the driver's side of the vehicle, produced a knife, and began stabbing Sangan as he attempted to exit. Haydari initially shouted and tried to pull Jafari away, but the situation escalated.
Fatal Confrontation
As the struggle moved outside the vehicle, Jafari urged Haydari to join the assault. The court found that both repeatedly stabbed Sangan. Haydari eventually stopped and asked a bystander to call 911. Jafari then returned to Sangan, who was lying on the pavement, knelt beside him, whispered something, and stabbed him again, and repeated the action after another whisper.
Sangan sustained 35 sharp-force injuries and died from blood loss and damage to vital organs. Following the attack, Jafari photographed Sangan's body and sent the image to Soltani with a threatening message in Farsi. The couple fled the scene upon seeing a group of approaching individuals but later returned and surrendered to the police. Officers recovered two knives from their car.
Initially charged with second-degree murder, the couple's charges were reduced. Justice Michael Tammen characterized Jafari's actions as aggravated manslaughter, citing the prolonged and sustained nature of the assault by two armed assailants against an unarmed victim. The judge described Jafari's decision to photograph the body and send it to the victim's fiancée as an act of extreme callousness. Jafari, who had no prior criminal record and expressed remorse, and Haydari, who married in Iran in 2016 and moved to Canada in 2022, have two young children now in government care.