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Tahereh Ghassemi, a 54-year-old resident of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, was murdered at the hands of three hitmen hired by her ex-husband Hamid Ghassemi on April 11, 2015. Tahereh Ghassemi was abducted, shot to death, and buried in a shallow grave in a wooded area in St. Helena Parish. Her car was torched with gasoline and left behind in Chalma Avenue.
The Ghassemi murder case drew attention for its cold-blooded nature as Hamid hatched a hire-to-kill plot to avoid paying over $1.1 million in settlement money.
The shocking details of Tahereh Ghassemi's murder have been detailed in the upcoming Dateline NBC episode, titled The Ultimate Betrayal. The synopsis of the episode reads:
"After Tahereh Ghassemi disappears from the Louisiana home she shares with her adult son, detectives discover that she'd recently come into a great deal of money; the investigation reveals an astonishing plot with international implications."
The episode airs on November 29, 2023, at 10 pm EST on NBC.
Storming the victim's house, and 4 other details about Tahereh Ghassemi murder case
1) Hamid Ghassemi had Tahereh killed over the settlement money and assets
Tahereh Ghassemi had filed for a divorce from her husband, Hamid, on May 22, 2006. The couple went through a bitter court battle that required Hamid to pay Tahereh over $1.1 million in settlement money along with two houses in assets.
However, Hamid started plotting Tahereh's murder within the seven months that followed since their divorce.
2) Hamid had Tahereh killed before her trip to Iran
Tahereh was shot to death before she was about to leave for a trip to her country, Iran. As Daniel Richter, one of the hired hitmen, testified later, Hamid was afraid that Tahereh would leave with his wealth and he would never see any of it again.
Richter added to his testimony, saying that the timing was perfect.
3) Hamid had hired three men on a $10,000 bounty
Hamid had hired three men on a $10,000 bounty to get rid of his ex-wife. He put the three men, Daniel Richter (33) of Walker, Skyler Williams (17) of Denham Springs, and Tyler Ashpaugh (20) of Denham Springs, to work. The three dug a grave for Tahereh's body and left for her house, where they injected her with insulin.
The men abducted her in the trunk of a car and brought her to a desolate area in St. Helena Parish where she was shot point-blank with a .22 caliber revolver by Ashpaugh.
While the murder took place on April 11, 2015, the body was found on May 16, 2015. The three men were tracked with their phone records and subsequently connected to Hamid by the investigators. They pleaded guilty to reduced charges of manslaughter during their trial.
4) The murder plan included the abduction of Tahereh's son, Hamed
The murder plan laid by Hamid Ghassemi included the abduction of his son, Hamed, who lived with Tahereh. However, Hamed was not home on April 11 when Richter, Williams, and Ashpaugh stormed their North Laurel Creek home.
According to Richter's testimony, Hamid had requested the three to dig a second grave for his son. Hamed Ghassemi later testified against his 72-year-old father during his trial.
5) Hamid Ghassemi was convicted 8 years after the crime
Hamid Ghassemi was convicted of first-degree murder, principal to first-degree murder, principal to second-degree kidnapping, solicitation for murder, and principal to arson.
He was sentenced to life in prison following a seven-day trial that ended on August 15, 2023. He is presently serving his time at the Louisiana Department of Corrections.
Daniel Richter and Skyler Williams are presently serving their 30-year sentence with charges of first-degree murder, second-degree kidnapping and arson. Tyler Ashpaugh, however, passed away in prison in January 2023 awaiting his alleged 40-year sentence.
