CHANDLER, Ariz. — A man has been sentenced to 31 years in an Arizona prison after he pleaded guilty to killing his wife in Chandler last year.
Mohammad Alkurdi, 40, was convicted of shooting his wife to death in March 2023 while their four young children were home. One of the children, a 7-year-old, witnessed the fatal shooting.
The Maricopa County Attorney's Office said the shooting was the result of a series of escalating incidents of domestic violence. The wife was reportedly in the process of obtaining an order of protection against the defendant and seeking domestic violence assistance when she was killed.
Alkurdi pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and disorderly conduct involving weapons.
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Domestic violence resources
If you or anyone you know is in a domestic violence situation help is available. The National Domestic Violence Hotline is 800-799-7233 (SAFE).
The Arizona Sexual and Domestic Violence Hotline is 602-279-2980 or text 520-720-3383.
For help at New Life Domestic Violence in Arizona, call 623-932-4404
Go here for more local resources and shelters.
How big is Maricopa County?
Maricopa County is the United States’ 4th largest county in terms of population with 4,485,414 people, according to the 2020 Census.
The county contains around 63% of Arizona’s population and is 9,224 square miles. That makes the county larger than seven U.S. states (Rhode Island, Delaware, Connecticut, Hawaii, New Jersey, Massachusetts and New Hampshire).
One of the largest park systems in the nation is also located in Maricopa County. The county has an estimated 120,000 acres of open space parks that includes hundreds of miles of trails, nature centers and campgrounds.
The county’s seat is located in Phoenix, which is also the state capital and the census-designated 5th most populous city in the United States.
The county was named after the Maricopa, or Piipaash, Native American Tribe.
