Magdi Gigris forgives father for arranging his mother's brutal murder

A son whose father was given a life sentence for arranging his mothers murder to avoid the cost of divorce told the court that he forgave him and urged him to confess and repent. Magdi Girgis, 62, from Westminster, California, was sentenced on Friday to life without parole for his part in a plot to

A son whose father was given a life sentence for arranging his mother’s murder to avoid the cost of divorce told the court that he forgave him and urged him to ‘confess and repent’.

Magdi Girgis, 62, from Westminster, California, was sentenced on Friday to life without parole for his part in a plot to have his wife, Ariet, 55, killed.

She was stabbed to death and nearly decapitated by men who entered the family home and bound and gagged Magdi’s youngest son, Ryan, 17, during the September 2004 attack, the trial heard.

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Astonishing message: Richard, the son of Magdi Girgis, who was jailed for plotting to kill his wife, said that he forgave his father

Astonishing message: Richard, the son of Magdi Girgis, who was jailed for plotting to kill his wife, said that he forgave his father

During sentencing, the couple’s other son, Richard, said ‘I forgive you dad for all that you have done to me and Ryan. Confess, repent’, according to KCBS-TV Channel 2.

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However, Magdi maintains his innocence. He told the judge that he had ‘nothing to do with the killing of my wife’.

His sons said that they live in constant fear of their lives, worried that their father will have them killed for speaking out against him.

Richard told the court: ‘I sleep with a gun under my pillow. I have an alarm, dogs and cameras around my house.’

Plea: Magdi Girgis told a hearing that he was not responsible for his wife's murder

Plea: Magdi Girgis told a hearing that he was not responsible for his wife's murder

Fear: Magdi's youngest son, Ryan, said that he was bound and gagged during the 2004 attack

Fear: Magdi's youngest son, Ryan, said that he was bound and gagged during the 2004 attack

Prosecutors claim that Anthony Edward Bridget, who is due to stand trial in July, was responsible for the murder of Ariet.

They allege that he, and other suspects still at large, bound and gagged Ryan and killed Ariet with a sharp object.

After the attack Ryan broke free and alerted the authorities. He said his mother’s last words – ‘take anything you want’ –have left him distraught.

Brutal: Ariet Girgis was nearly decapitated in the 2004 attack at her Westminster home

Brutal: Ariet Girgis was nearly decapitated in the 2004 attack at her Westminster home

Magdi, a respiratory therapist, told the trial: ‘I’m not a bad father. Maybe I am strict. But I love them. I love my kids.’ 

Prosecutors say that Ariet was killed days before she was due to testify in a domestic violence case against Magdi, according to the LA Times.

They argued that Magdi hired the killer to avoid a costly divorce and a conviction that would harm his career.

 

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