Judge sets dates in Ghassemi alleged murder-for-hire case
BATON ROUGE, LA (WAFB) - Judge Louis Daniel set some important dates Monday in the case of a Baton Rouge businessman accused of hiring men to kill his ex-wife.
Hamid Ghassemi and three other men were arrested in May 2015 in connection with the murder of Ghassemi's ex-wife Taherah Ghassemi.
The lawyers for Hamid Ghassemi want cell phone evidence suppressed, claiming deputies with the East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office got cell phones records without the proper search warrants. Those phone records linked Ghassemi and those he allegedly hired.
According to dates set by Daniel, a written brief by the defense is due Jan. 9, 2017 with a response brief by the district attorney's office due on Feb. 7, 2017.
Oral arguments in support of briefs are set for Feb. 21, 2017 at 10 a.m. and a ruling on the motion to suppress evidence is set for Feb. 23, 2017 at 2 p.m.
Ghassemi faces charges of solicitation for murder, principal to first-degree murder, principal to second-degree kidnapping and principal to arson for his part in Taherah's death.
Taherah was reported missing on April 11. Her vehicle was found on fire the next day.
Investigators found Taherah's body buried in a wooded area in St. Helena Parish on May 16, 2015. The coroner reported that she died from a gunshot wound to the head.
RELATED STORIES: Man accused of murder-for-hire plot against ex-wife
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