00:00:00
[audio logo]
00:00:11
Christine Mitchelle:
The internet
00:00:12
is a place where you
never know who you're
00:00:14
talking to on the other side.
00:00:16
Jacqueline B. Helfgott: Social
media has created a situation
00:00:18
where regular people have
become stars on a screen,
00:00:22
but they're not
equipped to deal
00:00:24
with it like movie stars are.
00:00:25
Alisha Holland: Zohreh
Sadeghi worked in technology.
00:00:28
And she wanted to help others,
so she created a podcast.
00:00:31
She was able to connect
with people online,
00:00:33
and Ramin was one
of those people.
00:00:35
- He became infatuated
with Zohreh.
00:00:39
- The communication just kind
of spiraled out of control.
00:00:42
Sean Kipe: Now he's calling
her 100 times a day.
00:00:45
Christine Mitchelle:
He wanted to be
00:00:46
in a romantic
relationship with her.
00:00:48
- If 20 calls didn't work,
what about 500 calls?
00:00:52
Alisha Holland: She
got to the point
00:00:53
where she wasn't
opening windows
00:00:55
because she didn't want to see
if he was standing outside.
00:00:58
He even threatened
at one point that he was
00:01:00
going to set her home on fire.
00:01:03
Marshall Telbert: To live
in that constant fear
00:01:05
and constantly on edge,
I can't even imagine.
00:01:09
And the ability that he had
to find information about her.
00:01:15
But it was clear,
and he made it clear,
00:01:17
that he wasn't going to stop.
00:01:21
[theme music]
00:01:24
♪ ♪
00:02:03
Marshall Telbert: Redman is
what feels like a small town,
00:02:07
but has growing
bigger and bigger.
00:02:09
It's a suburb
of Seattle, Washington.
00:02:11
It's a very large
tech population here.
00:02:14
Sean Kipe: Washington State
is kind of where tech is,
00:02:18
and Microsoft
and Amazon and all
00:02:22
of these huge tech companies.
00:02:23
There are so many tech
jobs, high paying jobs.
00:02:27
It's a beautiful location, and
it attracts the top tech talent
00:02:32
from all over the world.
00:02:34
I mean, it's a very
multicultural place,
00:02:38
and I think the tech
industry being centered there
00:02:41
has a lot to do with that.
00:02:43
The schools are good,
the neighborhoods are safe.
00:02:46
Redman is kind of one
of those pockets just outside
00:02:50
of the main city that
people move to because it's
00:02:54
safer than Seattle.
00:02:58
narrator:<i> Redman is</i>
<i> home to married couple,</i>
00:03:00
<i> 33-year-old Zohreh</i>
<i> Sadeghi and 35-year-old</i>
00:03:03
<i> Mohammad Milad Naseri.</i>
00:03:06
- In 2011, Zohreh
and Mohammad moved from Iran
00:03:10
to the United States.
00:03:12
And they started tech
careers in Washington
00:03:14
and were really living
a wonderful life.
00:03:17
She was a software engineer at
Promontory Mortgage Path LLC,
00:03:21
and Mohammad worked as a
software engineer for Amazon
00:03:24
here in Seattle.
00:03:25
And they were both hard
working, focused on technology,
00:03:28
and just making a better world.
00:03:33
Marshall Telbert: They're both
so smart and articulate and
00:03:37
so kind, the type
of people that would
00:03:39
never wish ill on anybody.
00:03:42
Alisha Holland: Zohreh Sadeghi
was a Farsi speaker who
00:03:45
worked in technology, and she
wanted to take that very niche
00:03:49
skill set and help others.
00:03:51
So she created a podcast.
00:03:53
And that podcast was
for Farsi speakers.
00:03:55
And it focused on resources
and support in the tech world.
00:04:00
Sean Kipe: It is so easy
to start a podcast.
00:04:03
I think that's why
everybody does it.
00:04:05
You can make it in your closet
or in your bedroom,
00:04:08
or in your car or wherever.
00:04:11
And you upload it
to a hosting platform,
00:04:13
and it's instantly accessible
by people all over the world.
00:04:18
There's a podcast
for everything,
00:04:20
for every interest
that you have
00:04:22
or everything that's
going on in your life,
00:04:24
whether you need to talk to
somebody in a therapy setting
00:04:27
or hear other people's
experiences in that kind
00:04:30
of setting, whether you're
looking for inspiration or home
00:04:33
renovation stuff,
or in Zohreh's case,
00:04:36
you're looking for a job
and getting some advice and
00:04:39
mentorship from someone
in your field or a field
00:04:42
that you're interested in.
00:04:44
And that's what she
did, and connecting
00:04:47
with a community of people
who you have knowledge
00:04:51
and you're able to teach
people something.
00:04:54
Give them something that's
going to be useful to them
00:04:58
or beneficial to them.
00:04:59
And so that's what she was a
part of, and one of the things
00:05:02
that she really, I
think, was interested in
00:05:04
and enjoyed doing.
00:05:07
- Zohreh didn't just talk
about opportunities in tech.
00:05:10
She really wanted
to help people.
00:05:12
So she was actually
on the app called Clubhouse,
00:05:15
which is really
unique because users
00:05:17
can interact with audio files.
00:05:19
So you're really almost
speaking to the person.
00:05:22
Sean Kipe: There are
different topics.
00:05:24
You can meet people in fields
that you're interested in
00:05:29
or that you work
in, the tech space.
00:05:31
It's just a way
to offer advice,
00:05:35
to share advice
or mentorship or information,
00:05:41
and just sort of encapsulated
in this one app and
00:05:44
this one central
place where people
00:05:46
can connect with each other.
00:05:50
narrator:<i> Clubhouse</i>
<i> is a podcasting and</i>
00:05:53
<i> social networking app.</i>
00:05:54
<i> It launched in 2020</i>
<i> and rapidly gained popularity</i>
00:05:57
<i> during the COVID pandemic.</i>
00:05:59
<i> It attracts a diverse</i>
<i> community of enthusiasts</i>
00:06:01
<i> who join chat rooms to engage</i>
<i> others in conversations</i>
00:06:04
<i> and meet new people.</i>
00:06:09
Marshall Telbert: Zohreh went
through a lot in her life
00:06:11
during that time.
00:06:13
She moved here.
00:06:14
She was going through
some chronic pain issues,
00:06:18
and we had the COVID
shutdowns, all kind
00:06:20
of happened simultaneously.
00:06:22
She seemed like a very
outgoing and kind person,
00:06:26
the type of person
that would be friends
00:06:27
with anybody
and everybody, that kind
00:06:29
of chameleon sort of person.
00:06:31
You could put her
in a room with anybody.
00:06:34
Milad seemed like
just such a caring
00:06:37
husband and somebody who was
doing his best to look out
00:06:41
for his wife and was
so interested in her
00:06:46
getting out there again.
00:06:47
I think moving here, dealing
with some chronic pain issues,
00:06:51
the COVID shutdowns
can really take
00:06:53
a person who was once
outgoing and really
00:06:55
make them very isolated.
00:06:57
So I think that he was
very excited to see
00:07:00
her get on a Clubhouse,
engage with people,
00:07:03
interact with
people in a time and
00:07:06
in a world where it was
really difficult for any of us
00:07:09
to interact.
00:07:11
Alisha Holland:
And this app was great.
00:07:13
She was able
to connect with people.
00:07:14
And Ramin was one
of those people.
00:07:18
narrator:<i> Ramin</i>
<i> Dakaramrezaei is</i>
00:07:20
<i> a 38-year-old man from Texas.</i>
00:07:23
Alisha Holland: She was
really excited because she
00:07:25
really wanted to help people.
00:07:27
She had these skills, and she
wanted to put them to good use.
00:07:30
So when Ramin
started bringing up
00:07:32
questions about getting
into tech and things
00:07:36
that she could offer
as far as resources
00:07:38
or support or connections,
it was all really exciting.
00:07:42
Christine Mitchelle:
She was very
00:07:44
mindful of her own privacy and
her own personal information.
00:07:50
So she was careful not to just
give out her phone number
00:07:54
to anybody, any listener
or anybody who was connecting
00:07:56
with her on social media.
00:07:59
narrator:<i> Ramin becomes</i>
<i> a regular listener</i>
00:08:01
<i> to Zohreh's podcast.</i>
00:08:03
Marshall Telbert: He
first reached out to her,
00:08:06
claiming that he was interested
in what she was interested in.
00:08:09
They first began a friendship
online on Clubhouse
00:08:13
and then through
their Instagram account
00:08:17
she had associated with
the Clubhouse account.
00:08:20
He had begun direct messaging
her, liking her posts,
00:08:24
and as far as I
can tell, it seems
00:08:25
like it was a cordial
friendship online early on.
00:08:29
This definitely felt
like exactly what
00:08:31
the Clubhouse application is
for, what Instagram is for,
00:08:34
what social media
is for, connecting
00:08:37
with people all over the world,
in your area and beyond,
00:08:40
for shared interests.
00:08:43
Christine Mitchelle:
He had begun
00:08:45
contacting her through other
means other than the Clubhouse.
00:08:48
And it sounds like
they had engaged
00:08:50
in, like, group chats and other
social media platforms
00:08:53
that the suspect had joined
and had started contacting
00:08:57
Zohreh that way,
which then led to him
00:09:01
messaging her more frequently.
00:09:03
And he had given her this
idea that he was also
00:09:09
trying to make his way
in the tech industry
00:09:11
and that he was appreciative
for any guidance and advice.
00:09:16
And, of course,
Zohreh was more than
00:09:18
happy to help anybody
who was trying
00:09:21
to do the same thing
that she had done
00:09:23
and that she was trying
to support others in doing.
00:09:25
And I think that kind of opened
the door for him to really
00:09:28
begin bombarding her.
00:09:31
narrator:<i> Later</i>
<i> into 2021 and into 2022,</i>
00:09:34
<i> things start taking</i>
<i> a more sinister turn.</i>
00:09:39
Alisha Holland: At first,
it seemed like that's
00:09:41
what the conversations were.
00:09:43
Romine was asking
about those topics.
00:09:45
But it really didn't take long
for the conversation to change,
00:09:49
and it was clear
he was more focused
00:09:50
on Zohreh as a person
and an individual,
00:09:53
not the help she was offering
or the support she could give.
00:09:57
It started to turn obsessive,
and his connecting with her
00:10:00
was changing and was not
focused on tech any longer.
00:10:05
And that's when
she first started
00:10:07
to become really
concerned about him
00:10:09
and what his real reason
for speaking to her was.
00:10:13
- Comments about her
Instagram and online activity
00:10:18
were somewhat disturbing
because he was making comments
00:10:22
about other men who were
messaging her or commenting,
00:10:27
or he was commenting about the
clothing that she was wearing
00:10:32
and how much skin
that she was showing.
00:10:35
I think at some point she even
deleted her Instagram account
00:10:39
just so that he wasn't able
to track her or contact her
00:10:43
through Instagram any further.
00:10:51
Sean Kipe: In the fall of 2022,
after Ramin and Zohreh had
00:10:55
been talking
through the app and
00:10:57
communicating with each
other for some time,
00:11:00
she had started pushing away.
00:11:04
He was becoming a little
maybe possessive or obsessive.
00:11:09
Marshall Telbert:
There was a lot
00:11:10
of grooming early on, I
mean, even the way that he
00:11:12
presented himself
as somebody who's
00:11:14
interested in the tech world.
00:11:15
He later on admitted to her
that he was a truck driver.
00:11:24
He has this, like, emotional
moment where he's like crying
00:11:27
or, like, ashamed
of his job, which
00:11:30
I think is just
so manipulative, because not
00:11:33
only is he outing himself
as I misrepresented myself
00:11:37
to start this friendship
from the beginning,
00:11:40
but now I'm going to come
tell you this sob story
00:11:42
to make you feel bad for me.
00:11:47
Christine Mitchelle:
I think after that,
00:11:48
the communication just kind
of spiraled out of control.
00:11:53
He was contacting her
through the app Telegram.
00:11:58
She was getting message
after message after message.
00:12:02
If you're not familiar
with that app,
00:12:04
it's really easy to just
generate another account
00:12:07
and generate another
account and another account,
00:12:09
which made it really difficult
for her to fully block him or
00:12:15
keep him from contacting her.
00:12:17
[phone vibrating]
00:12:19
Sean Kipe: He then
took it a step further
00:12:22
and started calling her,
getting her phone number.
00:12:24
And that escalates again, and
now he's calling her 100 times
00:12:30
a day, literally.
00:12:32
That'll scare anybody.
00:12:35
narrator:<i> Zohreh is left with</i>
<i> no option but to file a police</i>
00:12:38
<i> report, but this does not</i>
<i> deter Ramin from continuing</i>
00:12:42
<i> his campaign of harassment.</i>
00:12:47
Christine Mitchelle: He had
gone to lengths to locate
00:12:51
Zohreh's close friends.
00:12:53
And he had actually found
their phone numbers as well,
00:12:56
and began calling her friends
and talking to her friends
00:13:02
about how he wanted to be in a
romantic relationship with her,
00:13:06
which also set another
whole level of fear
00:13:11
because he's now finding
her friends' contact
00:13:15
information and phone numbers.
00:13:19
Alisha Holland: Zohreh tried
her best to keep Ramin at Bay.
00:13:22
She changed her
phone number, she
00:13:23
blocked him anytime he
called, but he always
00:13:26
found a way around that.
00:13:28
He would change his number.
00:13:30
He would get burner phones
and call her new number, which
00:13:33
he was able to find online.
00:13:35
He would stay at hotels,
as part of his job,
00:13:39
and he would call
from the hotel numbers
00:13:41
because they
weren't blocked yet.
00:13:43
He was finding every
loophole possible to be
00:13:46
able to track her down.
00:13:47
What's the new phone number?
00:13:49
What's a phone number
connected to her mother?
00:13:51
What about her friends?
00:13:52
And he was able to get
a hold of her continually.
00:13:56
There really was
no stopping him.
00:13:58
He was full steam ahead.
00:14:00
Nothing was going
to keep him from her.
00:14:04
Marshall Telbert: I don't
know when his infatuation
00:14:06
began with Zohreh.
00:14:08
I don't know if that was
from the very beginning
00:14:12
or escalated for him
as well, but it was clear
00:14:16
and he made it clear that
he wasn't going to stop.
00:14:20
[theme music]
00:14:24
[audio logo]
00:14:30
[audio logo]
00:14:38
narrator:<i> Redman,</i>
<i> Washington, 2022.</i>
00:14:41
<i> Podcaster Zohreh</i>
<i> Sadeghi has reported</i>
00:14:44
<i> to police that one</i>
<i> of her listeners</i>
00:14:46
<i> is stalking and harassing her.</i>
00:14:48
<i> The man, Ramin</i>
<i> Khodakaramrezaei,</i>
00:14:51
<i> has been calling her from</i>
<i> different phone numbers</i>
00:14:53
<i> and sending her hundreds</i>
<i> of text messages,</i>
00:14:56
<i> evading any attempt</i>
<i> to block him.</i>
00:15:00
<i> Zohreh and her husband</i>
<i> Milad are deeply</i>
00:15:02
<i> concerned for her safety.</i>
00:15:07
Jacqueline B.
Helfgott: Stalking
00:15:08
can be a very frightening
crime in that it involves
00:15:12
a pattern of fantasy
development, obsession, and
00:15:16
identification with a person
in a way that's unwanted,
00:15:20
and then a sustained
behavior of trying
00:15:22
to act out on those fantasies.
00:15:26
Marshall Telbert:
Stalking in general
00:15:28
is a very disturbing crime,
because it speaks to not only
00:15:35
some level of delusion
or an inability
00:15:38
to accept somebody else's
reality or barriers they're
00:15:41
putting up, or things
that they're telling you,
00:15:43
your inability
to accept that, it also
00:15:45
speaks to a level
of commitment,
00:15:48
the nonstop
communication, finding
00:15:51
different avenues and angles,
attempting different ways
00:15:53
to garner engagement.
00:15:56
Like, OK, if this didn't
work, if 20 calls didn't work,
00:15:59
what about 500 calls?
00:16:01
How invasive that can feel for
somebody, how troubling that
00:16:07
can feel for somebody
like Zohreh,
00:16:10
to live in that constant
fear and constantly on edge,
00:16:16
I can't even imagine.
00:16:18
And just the manipulation
and the ability
00:16:21
that he had to find
information about her
00:16:26
and then let her know that
he found the information,
00:16:29
it just really speaks
to a level of intent
00:16:33
and a level of a fear
because of the control
00:16:39
that he had over
the situation as well.
00:16:41
Christine Mitchelle: In
December of 2022, she was home
00:16:48
and Milad had actually just
left the home to go on a trip.
00:16:54
He showed up at her
residence, knocked on the door
00:17:00
and left a bouquet of flowers
and a card outside of her home.
00:17:04
She, obviously,
didn't answer the door
00:17:07
and captured the whole thing
on her surveillance footage.
00:17:13
Sean Kipe: Your home
is your castle.
00:17:15
It's your space to feel safe.
00:17:17
And now, with him coming
there, that's gone.
00:17:22
And she could no
longer have even
00:17:23
a place to feel safe at home.
00:17:27
Alisha Holland:
She was horrified.
00:17:29
This showed that,
obviously, Ramin
00:17:31
was not listening and was
not respecting her boundaries
00:17:34
of leaving her alone.
00:17:36
And not only that,
it seemed almost
00:17:38
like he was showing his
hand a little saying,
00:17:40
I was able to find your house.
00:17:42
I know where you
live, and I know when
00:17:44
your husband leaves the house.
00:17:46
So, I can only assume
he intended that to be
00:17:49
as threatening as it was.
00:17:52
narrator:<i> Zohreh fears</i>
<i> for her own safety,</i>
00:17:54
<i> as well as that of her</i>
<i> husband and her mother,</i>
00:17:57
<i> who also lives with them.</i>
00:17:59
Alisha Holland: After Ramin
had been coming to the house,
00:18:01
the fear for everyone
involved was through the roof.
00:18:05
Zohreh didn't feel
safe in her own home
00:18:08
because this man
was showing up all
00:18:10
the time against her wishes.
00:18:12
He even threatened
at one point that he
00:18:14
was going to set a tree
on fire that she loved,
00:18:18
and therefore that tree
would catch her home on fire,
00:18:21
and then he would
catch himself on fire.
00:18:23
These were extreme
threats and terrifying.
00:18:26
She got to the point where
she wasn't opening windows
00:18:29
because she didn't
want to see if he
00:18:31
was standing outside, staring
at her home or looking for her.
00:18:35
And to make things even
worse, at the same time,
00:18:38
she had recently gone
through back surgery,
00:18:40
and so she was home recovering.
00:18:42
And that was all
going well, but
00:18:44
she was pretty incapacitated.
00:18:46
So her fear
escalated because she
00:18:48
thought if someone were
to come into the home
00:18:51
and I had to defend myself,
she wasn't sure that she could.
00:18:55
And it was also so stressful.
00:18:57
It was really
hindering her ability
00:18:59
to actually physically heal.
00:19:01
So all combined,
this was a really
00:19:04
terrible time in her life.
00:19:09
narrator:<i> In January</i>
<i> 2023, Zohreh</i>
00:19:12
<i> files a second police report.</i>
00:19:18
Christine Mitchelle:
She had talked
00:19:19
to an officer
about her concerns
00:19:21
and also his increase in her--
00:19:24
contacting her.
00:19:25
And so that patrol
officer took her concerns,
00:19:29
wrote it down, and then
even a step further
00:19:32
in her investigation
and called the suspect
00:19:35
and tried to articulate to him
that this contact was unwanted
00:19:42
and that Zohreh I did not
want anything further from him
00:19:45
and to essentially
leave her alone.
00:19:46
It's my understanding that
that conversation didn't
00:19:48
go very well, and he wasn't
very receptive to what
00:19:52
the officer was saying to him.
00:19:54
But that officer did what
they could, like I said.
00:19:58
They, I believe,
even charged him
00:20:00
with the crime of harassment,
and that's where it stood.
00:20:04
The day after the patrol
officer had talked to Zohreh
00:20:07
and had taken the report,
reading through it,
00:20:10
I was noticing numerous
red flags, especially how
00:20:14
he had traveled all the way
to Washington to leave
00:20:18
flowers at her front door.
00:20:20
And the incessant contact
through various social media
00:20:26
platforms, l decided that I
was going to reach out to her
00:20:29
and introduce myself and have
a conversation about digging
00:20:33
a little deeper, trying
to figure out what transpired
00:20:35
and how this all started
and what her true concerns were
00:20:41
and what she thought he
was capable of doing.
00:20:46
She had requested that
I come to her house
00:20:48
to conduct the interview.
00:20:50
During this time
period, she was
00:20:51
suffering from a significant
back injury and
00:20:55
some other ailments that
were kind of limiting
00:20:57
her ability to be mobile.
00:21:00
So I went over to her
house and met with her and
00:21:05
her husband Milad.
00:21:07
It was very apparent that
they were a wonderful couple.
00:21:11
And she was so warm
and so welcoming,
00:21:15
and so was her husband.
00:21:17
I could genuinely tell
that they loved each other,
00:21:20
and they wouldn't
have contacted
00:21:22
us if they weren't concerned.
00:21:25
Marshall Telbert: We
took this very seriously.
00:21:28
We truly believed everything
Zohreh was telling us.
00:21:31
She walked us through
an entire history of everything
00:21:34
that had been going on, and she
showed us all the evidence
00:21:37
that she had collected,
the screenshots,
00:21:39
the communication they had.
00:21:40
She had closely
documented everything
00:21:42
that I would want
somebody to do
00:21:45
that's in any
circumstance like this.
00:21:50
So once we had all
of that and we interviewed
00:21:53
her and her husband Milad--
00:21:56
who also had documentation
and saved voicemails
00:21:59
and everything else--
00:22:01
we were able to encourage
her to seek a protection
00:22:04
order, which she did.
00:22:06
We were also able to file
for an arrest warrant.
00:22:10
Darrell Lowe: A protection
order and a restraining order
00:22:13
is an order from a judge that
tells a person basically what
00:22:19
they cannot do, so they
cannot be within a specified
00:22:23
distance of the victim.
00:22:25
Could be 50 yards,
1,000 yards, et cetera.
00:22:28
You cannot phone, harass,
contact, et cetera.
00:22:31
So it attempts to emails,
texts, phone calls.
00:22:34
And, again, it also can
provide a physical distance
00:22:37
between the victim
and the suspect.
00:22:45
Sean Kipe: On March
3, 2023, Zohreh
00:22:49
finally gets an official
protective order against Ramin.
00:22:56
And he's not allowed
to come anywhere near her.
00:23:00
But the problem is
he's a truck driver
00:23:03
and he's always on the road,
so they can't actually
00:23:06
serve the papers to him, which
means the protective order is
00:23:11
really useless at that point.
00:23:15
You have to serve
it to the person.
00:23:17
And that challenge of even
finding where this guy is--
00:23:21
I mean, he's from Texas.
00:23:24
She's in Washington.
00:23:26
He could be in Kansas
one day, and
00:23:28
he could be in Oregon
the next, and he could be two
00:23:31
days later in North Dakota.
00:23:33
I mean, there's no--
00:23:36
he's on the highway, endless
stretches of highway in the US.
00:23:40
- Another hurdle for me,
investigative wise,
00:23:43
is the type of crime
that I'm investigating.
00:23:46
And based on everything
that I had learned thus far,
00:23:52
the suspect had only
committed the act of stalking.
00:23:55
And in the state of Washington,
stalking is a misdemeanor
00:23:59
and not a felony.
00:24:01
So that really
limits what I can do
00:24:05
and how I can move forward
in my investigation.
00:24:08
I consulted with
our prosecutors
00:24:11
here in the city of Redmond,
and what we came up with
00:24:17
is charging him with
stalking and getting
00:24:20
a warrant for his arrest.
00:24:23
Meaning that if he
were to cross
00:24:25
into the state of Washington,
anyone, any officer,
00:24:29
any trooper, any deputy
within the state of Washington
00:24:32
would be able to effect his
arrest, which was my goal.
00:24:35
I didn't care who
arrested him or
00:24:37
where he was found, just that
he was taken into custody
00:24:40
and that she could feel
some type of comfort
00:24:42
knowing that he
had been arrested.
00:24:47
The prosecutors got
a warrant for his arrest
00:24:49
for stalking and, I
believe, cyber harassment.
00:24:53
And now it was, essentially,
my job to find him.
00:24:59
That's, obviously,
not an easy task
00:25:01
when he is a long
haul truck driver
00:25:04
and does not live,
quite frankly, anywhere
00:25:07
near the state of Washington.
00:25:11
So, I began tracking him.
00:25:15
I got an order to track
him through his phone.
00:25:19
And that was working
up until March 7.
00:25:25
His phone had been turned
off at that point in time.
00:25:27
Though he had turned
it off in Utah.
00:25:30
I wasn't receiving
any more information
00:25:33
about his location, which
is indicative of either
00:25:36
him turning off
or the phone went dead.
00:25:38
That, obviously, was
another red flag.
00:25:41
It was my assumption that based
on where the activity started
00:25:47
and where it had continued,
that he was probably
00:25:49
hauling a load somewhere.
00:25:50
I had no details
on the business
00:25:54
he worked for,
what he hauled, or
00:25:57
where he could be
headed because, again,
00:25:59
it's not like he was
at the border in Oregon.
00:26:02
So, at that point
in time, we just
00:26:05
made her aware
of my investigation thus far.
00:26:09
And we talked, and I told
her time and time again,
00:26:14
if you hear from him
or he contacts you
00:26:17
and gives you any information
or leaves you a voicemail,
00:26:20
please reach out
to me and let me
00:26:22
know because any
information at all
00:26:25
could be very important,
however small it is.
00:26:31
narrator:<i> Three days</i>
<i> after Ramin's phone</i>
00:26:33
<i> last pinged in Utah, everyone's</i>
<i> worst nightmare comes true.</i>
00:26:38
Jamie Ford: So it
was the early morning
00:26:40
hours of March 10, 2023.
00:26:43
We received a call at about
1:45 in the morning.
00:26:50
Dispatch advised
there was an open 911
00:26:52
line of a female
crying, screaming,
00:26:57
another male voice moaning.
00:26:59
And no matter what dispatch
asked, as far as questions,
00:27:04
not getting any answers back.
00:27:05
[police siren]
00:27:06
Everybody starts
heading that way so we
00:27:09
figure out what's going on.
00:27:10
Our dispatchers were giving us
info that there is some history
00:27:16
of stalking at this address.
00:27:19
Within a minute, another
call comes from a neighbor
00:27:23
that someone from
the house of the 911 call
00:27:27
came from came
to their door knocking,
00:27:30
that somebody tried to break
in, that somebody has a gun.
00:27:34
[knocking the door]
00:27:37
[audio logo]
00:27:44
[audio logo]
00:27:52
narrator:<i> Redman, Washington,</i>
<i> on March 10, 2023,</i>
00:27:56
<i> law enforcement</i>
<i> receive a 911 call</i>
00:27:59
<i> and hear a woman screaming.</i>
00:28:01
- Please.
00:28:02
Please.
00:28:04
narrator:<i> The address</i>
<i> belongs to a woman named</i>
00:28:06
<i> Zohreh Sadeghi, who</i>
<i> has an active case</i>
00:28:08
<i> against a persistent stalker.</i>
00:28:10
<i> A minute later, another</i>
<i> 911 call comes in,</i>
00:28:14
<i> this time from a neighbor</i>
<i> reporting that someone</i>
00:28:16
<i> has broken into the Sadeghi</i>
<i> home with a gun.</i>
00:28:19
<i> Redman police</i>
<i> rushed to the scene.</i>
00:28:23
Jamie Ford: Staring
at this house,
00:28:24
it was completely
dark and quiet.
00:28:28
The door was closed.
00:28:30
I had officers
surrounding the house.
00:28:32
They couldn't see
any points of entry,
00:28:35
no broken glass, broken
windows, kicked-in doors.
00:28:38
Not a sound was
coming from the house.
00:28:42
narrator: The police
learned that the woman
00:28:44
who ran to the neighbors
is Fatima, Zohreh's mother.
00:28:48
- [CRYING]
00:28:50
Jamie Ford: She was
in a state of panic.
00:28:53
She was predominantly
Farsi speaking,
00:28:55
so we get our language line.
00:28:57
And even the interpreter
on the language line
00:28:59
was having a really difficult
time trying to translate what
00:29:03
Fatima was trying to tell us.
00:29:05
Eventually,
the translator says,
00:29:07
Fatima told us that a male
broke in and fired four shots.
00:29:13
Meanwhile, we're
making announcements
00:29:16
over our PA system
on our vehicle for anyone
00:29:18
to come outside.
00:29:19
So with that info,
we just decided to--
00:29:22
form a contact team to move up
to the front of the residence.
00:29:26
As soon as we get
a contact team going,
00:29:28
I see a male subject
through a long window that
00:29:33
ran alongside the front door.
00:29:35
He was at the upper
landing of the staircase,
00:29:39
just kind of swaying
back and forth.
00:29:41
So, call out to him on the PA
for him to exit the house,
00:29:45
but he's unresponsive
and he's stumbling a lot.
00:29:48
As a team, we opened
the door and inside--
00:29:52
and he's on the ground
at this point--
00:29:56
and we call him
towards us because we
00:29:58
don't know if he has a gun or
if anyone else inside the house
00:30:00
has a gun.
00:30:02
He's moaning, kind of in pain,
but he's covered in vomit.
00:30:07
And with the stumbling
and covered in vomit, honestly,
00:30:09
I thought he was
intoxicated at first.
00:30:12
So he wasn't coming towards us,
so I went inside the residence,
00:30:16
grabbed both of his arms.
00:30:18
I drag him out
as fast as we safely
00:30:20
could because we still don't
know where this firearm is at
00:30:23
and if anyone else inside the
house still has this firearm.
00:30:26
And this guy is just
in complete pain.
00:30:32
Not being able to say anything,
not being able to answer
00:30:35
any questions.
00:30:37
One of the officers
did a wound sweep
00:30:39
to see if he had
any injuries on him
00:30:41
because he was,
obviously, in pain.
00:30:43
And at about his sternum was
a very small bullet hole.
00:30:49
I put chest seals
on him to do CPR,
00:30:52
but he started to decline
pretty rapidly.
00:30:55
He died pretty
quickly as soon as we
00:30:57
got him in the ambulance rig.
00:30:59
I found out later that this
was a Milad, Zohreh's husband.
00:31:09
As we push forward
inside the house,
00:31:12
we go upstairs since that's
where we found Milad.
00:31:16
On the floor,
on the stairway landing
00:31:19
was a spent 9
millimeter cartridge
00:31:23
casing and an unspent
live 9 millimeter round.
00:31:28
And that was the first bit
of evidence inside the house
00:31:31
that something
horrible had happened.
00:31:34
We work our way
down the hallway.
00:31:37
It's very dark
inside, but as soon
00:31:40
as I shined a light
in one of the bedrooms,
00:31:44
I could see a male's head
on the edge of a bed.
00:31:48
And he, obviously,
looked deceased.
00:31:51
Pushed a little further
and see that he's
00:31:54
holding on to a firearm,
but he wasn't moving.
00:31:57
So we entered the room.
00:31:59
He was laying on the bed.
00:32:00
He was laying on top
of a female subject.
00:32:04
They were both
facing up, and she
00:32:07
was obviously deceased also.
00:32:10
And later find out
that this was Zohreh
00:32:14
and that the male was Ramin.
00:32:19
When we made
our way downstairs,
00:32:21
we found the point of entry
being a broken bedroom window.
00:32:26
From the outside, you couldn't
really see this broken bedroom
00:32:29
window because it
was ground level
00:32:32
and a trampoline was
pushed up next to it.
00:32:35
We pretty much secured
the crime scene
00:32:37
and waited for detectives
to show up.
00:32:42
Marshall Telbert:
It's a rare case
00:32:43
where you have so much
background information
00:32:47
about the involved parties
when you arrive on scene,
00:32:51
but, again, it's very important
that you don't take things
00:32:54
at face value
and that you don't
00:32:56
know the scope of everything.
00:32:57
So you follow
the standard procedure
00:33:00
you would for any case.
00:33:02
So we close off the scene,
then we carefully
00:33:06
and diligently
document the scene
00:33:08
and collect all
pertinent evidence.
00:33:12
narrator:<i> Investigators</i>
<i> expand the crime scene</i>
00:33:14
<i> from the house</i>
<i> to the surrounding area</i>
00:33:16
<i> in search of further evidence.</i>
00:33:20
Christine Mitchelle:
Well, first
00:33:21
it was, how did he get here?
00:33:23
There's no truck we could
locate in the immediate area.
00:33:26
And this is
a neighborhood, right,
00:33:28
where the houses are pretty
close together, the streets
00:33:31
aren't that wide,
and, quite frankly,
00:33:33
I'm not really sure where
he would have parked.
00:33:36
While we were on scene
conducting our investigation,
00:33:40
I believe another
patrol officer
00:33:43
had located a suspicious
vehicle parked on the street
00:33:47
just north of the residence.
00:33:49
It was a red pickup.
00:33:50
And when he looked
into the truck--
00:33:54
and it was, what I would say,
indicative of somebody going on
00:33:57
like a road trip--
there were lots of cans
00:34:01
of Red Bull, cigarettes.
00:34:04
It was messy.
00:34:06
There was packaging
in there for a KA-BAR knife.
00:34:10
Also in the vehicle
was receipts for ammo,
00:34:14
which he had just
recently purchased
00:34:17
as well, just days before.
00:34:19
And then we later learned
that it was a vehicle rented
00:34:23
from the Portland airport.
00:34:30
I actually went
through and talked
00:34:32
to somebody from the airport.
00:34:35
They were able to provide
me with a surveillance
00:34:37
footage, which did
show that he was
00:34:40
the one who rented the truck.
00:34:42
And it showed him driving
away in the truck.
00:34:46
So there's no reason
to believe that the truck
00:34:49
belonged to anybody else.
00:34:51
So we towed the vehicle back
to the police department
00:34:54
and got a search warrant for
the vehicle and its contents.
00:34:59
Once we searched
that vehicle, we
00:35:01
found items, identification
belonging to the suspect
00:35:07
that we were able
to determine that he had left
00:35:10
his truck somewhere and rented
this vehicle, which, again, to
00:35:14
me is indicative of how he
was trying to go undetected
00:35:21
and how he made every
attempt to make sure
00:35:26
that no one knew
where he was going
00:35:28
or what he was going to do.
00:35:30
He took those extra steps to
park on the street adjacent--
00:35:36
so just north of their house--
with the intention
00:35:38
of concealing it and himself.
00:35:41
When he arrived, it was dark.
00:35:43
He parked on that side
of the neighborhood
00:35:46
so he could come from
the back of Zohreh's house
00:35:50
and entered the backyard where
the window that he broke into
00:35:55
was on the north side
of the house and,
00:35:58
unfortunately,
the same room where
00:36:03
Zohreh's mother was staying.
00:36:15
I believe I was contacted
a few days later
00:36:17
after the investigation
because some agency
00:36:22
had located his semi truck, and
it had been parked and towed.
00:36:28
After going through
some of his bags,
00:36:30
we found diaries,
which were in Farsi,
00:36:33
and then a bag full
of cell phones.
00:36:39
It became pretty
apparent that not
00:36:41
only was he doing everything he
could to cover his movements.
00:36:45
Most people don't travel
around with six or
00:36:47
seven different cell phones.
00:36:51
[audio logo]
00:36:58
[audio logo]
00:37:05
narrator:<i> On March 10,</i>
<i> 2023, Ramin Dakaramrezaei</i>
00:37:11
<i> broke into the home of</i>
<i> podcasters Zohreh Sadeghi and</i>
00:37:14
<i> her husband Mohammad Milad</i>
<i> Naseri in Redmond, Washington,</i>
00:37:18
<i> killing them before</i>
<i> fatally shooting himself.</i>
00:37:24
<i> Ramin, a fan who had become</i>
<i> dangerously obsessed,</i>
00:37:28
<i> had stalked</i>
<i> and harassed Sadeghi</i>
00:37:30
<i> for months with incessant</i>
<i> calls and messages</i>
00:37:33
<i> despite a court order</i>
<i> forbidding him to contact her.</i>
00:37:37
Jacqueline B.
Helfgott: He just was
00:37:38
relentless and did not stop.
00:37:40
And she tried everything
she could possibly do.
00:37:43
She did everything right
to try to protect herself,
00:37:48
and in the end, she
wasn't able to protect
00:37:53
herself or her husband.
00:37:55
And it's a really
frightening example of what
00:37:59
can happen in these cases.
00:38:00
Stalking is one of the most
terrifying crimes there
00:38:04
is, especially in the world
we live in now,
00:38:08
with digital culture
where crime can
00:38:10
be created in a digital
space, and so you
00:38:12
don't know where a person is.
00:38:14
This can happen to any
person on social media.
00:38:18
You don't know who's out
there and you don't know
00:38:22
anything about who they are.
00:38:24
And it creates
a situation where
00:38:27
there was very
little that could
00:38:28
be done about it, even
by law enforcement
00:38:31
agencies trying to help.
00:38:35
Christine Mitchelle:
After the murder,
00:38:40
I did learn that he has
a wife and a child in Texas.
00:38:46
And the night
before the homicide,
00:38:50
he video called with his child
and didn't exactly come out and
00:38:55
say what he had planned
or what he was going to do,
00:38:59
but I think after the fact
and after I talked
00:39:01
with his ex-wife, it
was apparent to me
00:39:05
that he was essentially
saying his goodbyes.
00:39:12
His ex-wife, she had
contacted our agency
00:39:17
inquiring about next steps
for some of his property.
00:39:23
So, we didn't really talk
too much or in depth.
00:39:28
She just shared with me
that the last time that they
00:39:30
had communicated was just
prior to the homicide
00:39:35
when they engaged
in that video call.
00:39:37
He had expressed to his ex-wife
that him and Zohreh were going
00:39:44
to be together and that
she was his girlfriend
00:39:48
and that they were
romantically involved.
00:39:52
- He's a father himself.
00:39:55
He's divorced, a truck driver.
00:39:59
And for whatever reason, he
became infatuated with Zohreh.
00:40:08
And he took it upon himself to
exert the most despicable power
00:40:14
and control because he wasn't
in control of the situation.
00:40:23
narrator:<i> Although</i>
<i> Redmond police</i>
00:40:24
<i> worked to protect</i>
<i> Zohreh and her family,</i>
00:40:27
<i> ultimately they were unable</i>
<i> to stop her attacker.</i>
00:40:31
Darrell Lowe: The primary
detective in this case
00:40:34
did a phenomenal job
in working with the victim
00:40:37
and working within
the constraints
00:40:39
of our criminal justice
system, which, unfortunately,
00:40:42
do not favor victims.
00:40:43
The detective
and the Department
00:40:45
went above and beyond to ensure
that the victim followed
00:40:48
every step possible
and appropriate
00:40:51
to ensure that we
had the tools and
00:40:54
resources that we needed from
a criminal justice perspective.
00:40:57
There's only so much
that we can do.
00:41:00
This case had the most
tragic of outcomes
00:41:03
despite the best efforts
of a very committed and
00:41:07
dedicated detective who went
above and beyond the nature
00:41:11
of this case.
00:41:12
I believe it became very
personal to the detective.
00:41:15
She could see the fear in the
victim and the victim's family.
00:41:20
It did have a huge
impact on our department,
00:41:24
on the people
involved in the case.
00:41:28
Sean Kipe: In the past
nearly decade,
00:41:30
I've covered a lot
of cases in podcasting,
00:41:34
but this one sort of hits
home a little bit more
00:41:37
than others for me
because I'm a podcaster,
00:41:44
and my voice goes out
to a lot of people.
00:41:48
And those people
largely are fans,
00:41:52
but you just don't know who's
at the other end of the phone.
00:41:55
What's the average
person supposed to do
00:41:57
in a situation like this?
00:41:59
You go to the police, you
go to law enforcement,
00:42:02
you change your phone
number, you
00:42:03
change your email
addresses, but you can't
00:42:07
completely uproot your life.
00:42:08
I don't know what else
she could have done.
00:42:10
I think she did
everything she could
00:42:12
or she felt that she
could at that time.
00:42:16
narrator:<i> Investigators</i>
<i> reflect on the tragedy</i>
00:42:18
<i> of the loss of Zohreh</i>
<i> and her husband, Milad.</i>
00:42:23
Christine Mitchelle:
It's really hard.
00:42:24
It is.
00:42:26
It is very difficult. I
had many long conversations
00:42:29
with them and got to know them.
00:42:33
And I think that this
is the worst type
00:42:38
of tragedy, obviously, that--
00:42:41
the worst type
of outcome for any case.
00:42:43
And I hope that going
forward, that anyone
00:42:49
who feels like they're
in a similar situation or they
00:42:52
can't get away from
somebody, that they
00:42:56
speak up for themselves.
00:42:59
We're here to listen
and to support you in any way
00:43:03
that we can.
00:43:04
[phone vibrating]
00:43:06
I can't express enough how
you never know who you're
00:43:10
talking to on the other side.
00:43:13
The internet is
a place where you
00:43:15
can be anybody you
want to be, you
00:43:18
can play any role
you want to play,
00:43:20
you can say anything
you want, and
00:43:24
you never know
what the truth is,
00:43:27
and you never know
who exactly you're
00:43:29
talking to on the other side.
00:43:35
Marshall Telbert:
Zohreh and Milad,
00:43:38
they were such warm and good
people and didn't deserve this.
00:43:44
And they're like
anybody else out there
00:43:46
that would think that this
would never happen to them,
00:43:48
that this couldn't happen
to them, that they're
00:43:51
like anybody else.
00:43:53
They are smart.
00:43:55
They are careful.
00:43:58
They were diligent
in their documentation.
00:44:01
So it's just a major warning
sign to anybody out there
00:44:04
who engages with
people online should
00:44:07
be as careful as possible.
00:44:09
And if something doesn't
feel right, it's not right.
00:44:13
Trust your instincts.
00:44:15
Seek the protection orders.
00:44:16
Involve law enforcement early.
00:44:22
[theme music]
00:44:25
♪ ♪
