Man: I Killed Wife to Marry Woman Who Was Stoned

Mohammad Iqbal says he strangled her 6 years ago
By Kate Seamons,  Newser Staff
Posted May 29, 2014 1:58 PM CDT
Man: I Killed Wife to Marry Woman Who Was Stoned
Muhammad Iqbal, right, husband of Farzana Parveen, 25, sits in an ambulance next to the body of his pregnant wife who was stoned to death by her own family, in Lahore, Pakistan.   (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)

The macabre story of the pregnant woman who was stoned to death by her own family on Tuesday in Pakistan just got far more twisted: Mohammad Iqbal has revealed to CNN that he murdered his first wife so he could wed Farzana Parveen. Officials confirm that his first wife was indeed killed, some six years ago; the Guardian reports she was strangled. Iqbal's 20-something son reportedly went to police after the killing, and Iqbal spent a number of weeks on the run before being arrested. The son says his father served a year in jail; police say he was freed after reaching a "compromise" with his family as allowed by Pakistani law. Iqbal says, "I wanted to send a proposal to Farzana so I killed my wife."

The timeline of the events remains a bit murky in terms of when Iqbal met Parveen, with the Guardian previously reporting the two were engaged for nearly two years before marrying this January. CNN does clarify some details about Iqbal and Parveen's involvement, per Iqbal: He says that the woman's mother died in December, and her father and brothers then changed their mind about the agreed-upon marriage, preferring she wed a cousin instead. The two opted to elope on Jan. 7, and her furious family demanded more money on top of what Iqbal had initially paid in exchange for their lives. Iqbal says his refusal to pay led to an abduction charge against him, and Parveen was planning to testify when she was attacked outside the court. According to a preliminary police report, her own brothers bashed her head with bricks. (More Farzana Parveen stories.)

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