By Nina Hall
SACRAMENTO – On January 14 of this year, a witness said he received a call from his friend Asghar Ehsan, stating that he had “a big emergency.”
That turned out to be an understatement.
The two met at the Islamic Center in Sacramento County a few hours after the call, where the witness stated that Ehsan alluded to his wife’s murder. Ehsan is being charged with a violation of Penal Code § 197(a), murder with malice and forethought.
Friday, in the Sacramento County Superior Courtroom of Judge Emily Vasquez, Ehsan was held to answer and stand trial after his preliminary hearing.
Deputy District Attorney Allison Dunham called five different witnesses from the Sacramento Police Department (SPD) who had responded to the scene.
Officer Jake Hensley stated the witness contacted the police after trying to convince Ehsan to turn himself into the authorities. While the witness said that Ehsan never explicitly admitted 
that he had murdered his wife, he suggested as much, saying, “It’s done, it’s over.”
When officers arrived on scene at the Sacramento residence they found the victim (Ehsan’s wife) deceased on the bed upstairs.
Lead detective on the case, Amanda Worm, testified that upon arrival she could tell the victim had sustained significant injuries, noting that while she couldn’t see the wounds obstructed by clothing, there were definite signs of injury due to the presence of blood stains and visible bruising and punctures on the victim’s neck.
A knife was found with blood on it between the mattress and the wall above the victim’s head. The nature of the victim’s death was stabbing.
Worm testified she was informed by a family friend that the victim and Ehsan’s relationship at home had been good.
Ehsan’s defense attorney noted that the defendant was having trouble sleeping. It was later found that Ehsan had a history of mental illness and had previously been hospitalized for it.
Ehsan’s daughter told Worm that her father would get headaches and forget to take his medication. Whether or not the defense intends to use this as the driving force of this case is unknown at this time.
Another officer, Joseph Thebeau, testified to the apprehension of Ehsan. He stated that Ehsan had been located by police in Roseville, and crashed his car after a short chase. Officers broke his car window and used an irritant to draw Ehsan out of the car.
First believing that the defendant was armed, the officers ordered a dog to get him. However, the dog merely jumped up on the defendant and did not contribute to the apprehension. Eventually, other officers stepped in and took Ehsan into custody.
Ehsan has two children with the victim and was remarried to the victim after a brief separation in 2017. He is set to return to court on December 4.
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