Musings on the mysterious murder of Gelareh Bagherzadeh

A year ago Jan. 16, Gelareh Bagherzadeh, 30, was found shot dead in her car just after midnight as she returned to her parents’ townhouse near the Galleria in west Houston. An aspiring molecular geneticist and an Iranian-born human rights activist, she’d been studying at a friend’s house in north Houston until late that night. She was a recent Christian convert, attending the Persian Christian fellowship at Second Baptist Church of Houston.

To date, the authorities have not named a suspect, nor given indication they have any firm leads. That said, the case is far from cold case aisles and has drawn wide interest and multiple theories.

News reports said Bagherzadeh was shot from the passenger side as she drove through the complex where her parents lived. She was found slumped in her father’s Nissan Altima, her purse and an iPhone untouched. The car careened into a townhouse, its front tires still spinning and the engine running when police arrived. Bagherzadeh was a prominent critic of the hardline Iranian government and an outspoken advocate for free elections and women’s rights there.

Early conjecture on blogs and social media was that she was killed either for her public criticism of Iran or for her conversion or a combination of both. In news reports, her family has downplayed the idea her death was politically motivated.

Adding to the intrigue: Last November, the twin brother of Bagherzadeh’s boyfriend, Cory Beavers, was gunned down in a parking lot as he walked his wife to her car. Coty, the twin brother, was shot multiple times and authorities are looking for clues tying the two killings together. Cory, the ex-boyfriend, reportedly has been active in working with authorities to find leads in the case. 

Bagherzadeh helped launch called SabzHouston, a pro-democracy organization that held a protest outside the Al-Hadi mosque in Houston in 2009 following the Iranian elections. A former imam of the mosque had returned to Iran as an aid to the Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the group alleged.

At the time of the killing, SabzHouston urged supporters to avoid jumping to conclusions about her death. But whatever the case, robbery didn’t appear to be the motive. A year later, authorities seem to have few leads, judging from news reports. Crime Stoppers Houston has offered a record $200,000 reward.

So to say this case is suspenseful—understatement.

Pray for the authorities as they seek truth and justice for the killer or killers of Bagherzadeh. We will keep you updated on the case (perhaps even develop a story about Bagherzadeh’s involvement at Second Baptist sometime this year if enough reliable contacts can be interviewed). Stay tuned.