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The 72-year-old car dealer from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Hamid Ghassemi, turned out to be the mastermind behind the disappearance of his ex-wife, Tahereh Ghassemi, a few days before her trip to her homeland, Iran. After her divorce from Hamid, Tahereh Ghassemi was expected to receive over $1.1 million and two houses as a divorce settlement from her ex-husband.
However, she was abducted, shot dead, and buried in a heavily wooded area in St. Helena Parish on April 11, 2015. A seven-day trial that ended August 15, 2023, convicted Hamid Ghassemi of first-degree murder charges and sentenced him to life in prison. Two out of the three men Hamid had hired for the murder, Daniel Richter and Skyler Williams, are presently serving their 30-year sentences after pleading guilty to manslaughter.
The Dateline NBC episode titled The Ultimate Betrayal chronicles the death of Tahereh Ghassemi, and the synopsis 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 Ultimate Betrayal, or episode 16 of the ongoing season 32, airs on November 29, 2023, at 10 pm EST on NBC.
Who is Hamid Ghassemi? Details explored
The newest Dateline NBC episode titled The Ultimate Betrayal centers around the unfortunate death of the Baton Rouge resident, Tahereh Ghassemi. She was born in Bam, Iran and was married to Hamid Ghassemi in 1976. Hamid then moved to the United States as a student and brought his son, Hamed Ghassemi, only once he reached the age of 18. Tahereh also moved to the States and mastered the English language, which allowed her to secure a job.
On the other hand, Hamid had an Import One used car dealership along Airline Highway, according to The Advocate. He also owned multiple used car lots in Baton Rouge and Lafayette, according to WBRZ-TV.
Tahereh filed for a divorce on May 22, 2006, and the couple went through a bitter ending, with Hamid owing his ex-wife over $1.1 million and two houses as part of the settlement. Once the couple officially separated, Hamid allegedly began plotting the murder of Tahereh. He had also wanted to get rid of his son, Hamed, according to the testimonies provided by one of the hitmen he had hired for the job.
Who were the three other accused in the Ghassemi murder case?
Hamid Ghassemi had hired three men with a $10,000 bounty to have his ex-wife killed before she left for her trip to her homeland, Iran. The three men were Daniel Richter (33) of Walker, Skyler Williams (17) of Denham Springs, and Tyler Ashpaugh (20) of Denham Springs.
The three men had met shortly before the abduction to dig a shallow grave for the body, after which they left for the North Laurel Creek home. There, they injected insulin into Tahereh's body. As she underwent seizures from the injection, she was put into the trunk of a car and driven to a desolate and wooded area in St. Helena Parish. She was finally killed when one of the hitmen shot her in the head with a .22 caliber revolver.
The three suspects reported that Hamid Ghassemi had provided them with gasoline, with which they torched Tahereh's car near Chalma Avenue near Choctaw Drive, Baton Rouge.
Where are the accused now?
The mastermind behind the hire-to-kill murder plan was Hamid Ghassemi, who was sentenced to life in prison on charges of first-degree murder on September 19, 2023. He is currently at the Louisiana Department of Corrections.
Daniel Richter and Skyler Williams had been charged with first-degree murder, second-degree kidnapping and arson and are presently serving 30 years in prison. The two pled guilty to reduced charges of manslaughter. The third hitman, Tyler Ashpaugh, who was looking at 40 years in prison, passed away awaiting his sentence in January 2023.
