JACKSONVILLE, FL - July 8, 2020 - According to an online news report published on Jacksonville.com, a former Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office detective along with his ex-wife were arrested and charged with the 1999 homicide of Saad Kawaf. The retired Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office detective was arrested on July 1, 2020. He is charged with armed robbery and murder. His ex-wife, who now lives in Jefferson City, Missouri, was arrested on July 2, 2020. She awaits in jail for her extradition to the State of Florida.
The arrest warrant provides details about the crime and the allegations against the two defendants. On May 17, 1999 at 9:20 a.m. the victim´s wife overheard screaming coming from her garage. She ran into the garage and she saw her husbdand in a violent confrontation with a white male and white female. The wife of the victim stated that she witnessed a white man stabbing her husband. Accroding to the arrest warrant, the investigators at the time of the murder did not know that white male murdered was a Sheriff’s Office detective. The arrest warrant stated that the murder suspect knew the victim because of a crimnal case the Sheriff’s Office detective was working. The arrest warrant alleges the two suspects knew a lot about the victim, particularly that the victim typically kept a lot of money inside their house and the couple owned a convenience. According to the news report, the male suspect was observing the couple’s home due to a drug investigation.
The arrest warrant states that the wife of the victim assisted her husband by fighting off the female assailant and bite the female suspect´s arm. The female suspect stated that she knew the couple had money in the house and to give them the money. The female assailant then threatened to shoot the victim if the wife didnt give them the money. The victim´s wife handed the female attacker approcximately $500 which she had in her purse. However, the female suspect stated that she knew the couple goes to the bank each week and they had not made this week´s deposit. The female suspect said that she knew they had more money n the house. The male suspect then put the knife up to the victim's wife's neck and demanded the money. The victim's wife led the suspects into the kitchen and she gave the suspects a package of money totalling $30,000. The suspects tied up the victim's wife and taped her mouth closed and then left. The wife of the victim was able to free herself, called for help, and then was transported with her husband to the hospital where the victim succeumbed to his injuires.
Blood evidence collected at the scene of the stabbing, a shirt, the victim´s fingernail clippings, and drops of blood collected in the kitchen were used to create DNA profiles. At the time, there were no matches. Numerous attempts to match the DNA samples to suspects over the years were unsuccessul. However, polcie got a break in the case. DNA profiles were submitted to Parabon NanoLabs for genetic geneology analysis. The samples were also provided to Family Tree DNA. On June 5, 2020, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement confirmed the identiy of the male suspect. The female suspect was confirmed six days later, according to the arrest warrant.