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One month ago today, Jersey City police walked into a blood bath and ended up in a case rife with international intrigue.
The killings of Hossam Armanious, his wife Amal Garas, and their two young daughters have spawned news stories across the globe, spurred religious tension in an American inner city and captured President Bush’s attention.
The case has taken investigators from Africa to cyberspace and inside the teachings of Islam. It’s put them at the uncomfortable crossroads of a centuries-old ideological battle between Egyptian Christians and Egyptian Muslims. And it’s left them at the core of a potential political firestorm.
In recent days, it has also brought them closer to possibly solving the slayings, which they now believe are likely about money and not the sectarian violence feared by many Coptic Orthodox community members.
“We’re getting somewhere that hopefully is going to give us a clear indication as to what the motive is,” said Hudson County Prosecutor Edward DeFazio. “And once you have motive, that helps lead you to the people involved.”
DeFazio still won’t discuss the intricate details of the case or explain why investigators are leaning toward a financial motive for the killings. But he did provide a glimpse into the probe, which has included assistance from an FBI profiler.
“The FBI does not think that, based on the information gleaned from the scene, it’s based on religious extremism,” the prosecutor said, without elaborating.
Last week, new details emerged about the case and about the Armanious family.
One is that the killers didn’t bring the murder weapons to the house, killing the family instead with knives they found there, DeFazio said. That doesn’t indicate a planned assassination, the prosecutor said.
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The family was bound and silenced with duct tape that may or may not have been inside the house, he said...
Investigators were still pursuing court orders to gain access to family records. DeFazio wouldn’t say which, nor would he discuss the family’s finances, other than to say, “They didn’t live hand to mouth.”
One theory holds that the victims were significantly wealthier than their modest home indicated and the killers were trying to gain access to the hidden money. Although there was evidence of robbery, a large amount of jewelry remained untouched, authorities said. Several religious symbols - including cross tattoos on each family member’s wrist - weren’t damaged.
One investigator familiar with the case said it is likely that the killers spent a “considerable amount of time” inside the house.
The extent of Hossam Armanious’ injuries also suggests a substantial effort was expended, possibly to get financial information from him, the source said.
Armanious clearly suffered the worst of the injuries, including numerous stab wounds, said an official with knowledge of the investigation.
