Trial of accused Boonton wife-killer nears
Potential jurors for the upcoming trial of an architectural student charged with masterminding the murder of his wife in Boonton in 2011 will be asked their feelings about the Muslim faith and whether they posted comments on online news sites about the slaying.
Morris County assistant prosecutors and defense lawyers for suspect Kashif Parvaiz, 29, spent two hours Tuesday before Superior Court Judge Robert Gilson in Morristown, fine-tuning preparations for the trial that is slated to start Jan. 20 with jury selection. The judge said he wants opening statements and testimony to start Feb. 2 for the trial that is expected to last four to five weeks.
The attorneys discussed specific questions they want to ask potential jurors during voir dire -- the selection process -- and defense lawyer John Latoracca said he wants jurors asked if they ever posted comments on online news portals about the case, and if so, under what name. The lawyers and judge agreed that jurors also would be asked whether they had any views on the Muslim faith that would impact their ability to decide the case impartially and fairly
Parvaiz is accused of conspiring with a girlfriend -- Antionette Stephen, now 30, of Billerica, Mass. -- to shoot his wife, Nazish Noorani, and wound him with gunfire to make it appear they were attacked on the street. Parvaiz and Noorani, the parents of two young boys, were in Boonton to celebrate the Muslim holiday of Ramadan with relatives when they both were shot on Aug. 16, 2011, as they strolled with one of their sons along Cedar Street around 11 p.m.
Noorani was killed while Parvaiz survived four, non-life-threatening bullet wounds. Their son was not wounded in his stroller. Parvaiz initially told police that three men had attacked him and his wife, calling them (expletive) “terrorists,” but he ultimately confessed to plotting the killing with Stephen, who has pleaded guilty and will testify for the state.
Latoracca told the judge he believes it important to know whether any potential jurors formed opinions about the case at the time and if their opinions were strong enough to prompt them to post comments online or on social media sites. Latoracca said he has kept abreast of the coverage of the case, which was intense and reported on by media around the country when it first occurred. He noted that some of the online postings “were ethnically offensive” and judgmental and he will be on alert for such leanings during jury selection.
The jury pool also will be given a fairly detailed synopsis of the case so that people can more readily recall if they read or heard about it when the killing took place.
Both Morris County Assistant Prosecutor Matthew Troiano and Latoracca previously told the judge there have not been meaningful plea negotiations to resolve charges against Parvaiz that include murder, conspiracy to commit murder, hindering apprehension by lying to police, endangering the welfare of a child and unlawful possession of a weapon.
The judge has told Parvaiz that based upon all the charges, he faces life in prison plus 78 years if convicted of all counts.
Troiano said that multiple relatives of the victim are expected to attend the trial. Parvaiz’s parents, who live in New York City, have attended virtually every hearing.
Staff Writer Peggy Wright: 973-267-1142; pwright@njpressmedia.com