Snapped on Oxygen: Where is Sahara Fakhir now?

The June 2013 murder of Jeremy Wheeler in his Douglas County home shocked the small community and eventually led to the arrest of Sahara Fakhir, Wheeler's neighbor. The controversial case drew attention from the media owing to the defense Fakhir presented during her trial.

Sahara Fakhir, then 32-year-old resident of River Run Drive, Douglasville, allegedly stabbed Jerry Wheeler, a beloved local businessman and father of Deputy Sheriff Michael Wheeler, on June 19, 2023, in his home. Fakhir did not plead guilty to charges of murder, armed robbery and burglary. However, in her defense, Fakhir mentioned the courthouse being cursed and demanded immediate release.

The upcoming Snapped episode chronicles the Douglasville stabbings and the controversy around Sahara Fakhir's conviction as the synopsis reads:

"When a beloved family man is found brutally murdered in his home, authorities must follow a trail of clues that exposes a strange and unlikely killer guided by gluttonous urges that led to murder."

The episode from Season 26 of Snapped re-airs on December 4, 2023, at 7 p.m. EST on Oxygen exclusively.

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Sahara Fakhir and her involvement in Jerry Wheeler's murder - Details explored

Jerry Wheeler, the 66-year-old resident of Douglasville, Georgia was making dinner for himself around 2 p.m. on June 19, 2013, when he was allegedly stabbed to death by his 32-year-old neighbor next door, Sahara Tabriz Fakhir.

A still of Sahara (Image via Your Daily Muslim)

The Douglas County Sheriff's Department received a call from one of their officers, Michael, to report his father's death. However, he had assumed that Jerry had passed away due to natural causes and believed he was wrapped in the rug to keep himself warm. The responders discovered a blood bath at the crime scene beside the disheveled state of the house.

Within a month of the gruesome incident, Sahara Fakhir of River Run Drive in Douglasville, a member of the Custodians of Faith and Wheeler's neighbor, was arrested and charged with murder, armed robbery and burglary. The charges were based on the match of the footprint found at the residence of the beloved murdered businessman.

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Why was Sahara Fakhir's conviction controversial and where is she now?

Fakhir was sentenced to life in prison for the 2013 murder without the possibility of parole. Sahara was additionally on probation at the time of the stabbings. Sahara Fakhir had been booked over a fine for a ticket that she was unable to pay for, according to The San Francisco Bay View National Black Newspaper. Fakhir did not plead guilty to the charges and is presently serving her sentence.

A still of Sahara during her trial (Image via Douglas County District Attorney's Office)

According to Douglas County District Attorney Brian Fortner's emailed statement:

“Sahara Fakhir brutally murdered a completely innocent man. Jerry Wheeler was a hard working pillar of the Douglas County Community. He was at home doing nothing more than cooking his dinner when Ms. Fakhir attacked him and stabbed him to death. The jury’s speedy verdict reflected the overwhelming amount of evidence against the defendant. It brought justice for Jerry Wheeler.”

A still of Sahara Fakhir (Image via Patch)

Sahara stepped into the courtroom on July 25, 2013, without a lawyer to defend her. Fakhir's unapologetic approach to her conviction drew attention as she informed the Douglas County Superior Court Judge Robert J. James:

“Allah is my lawyer and if you do not release me, Allah will have his vengeance on you like he did in 2009 when he sent the flood. It’s only going to be worse.”

Sahara believed that the courthouse was cursed and demanded she is released immediately.