A man is behind bars for fatally shooting his former wife and her mother dead in the parking lot of a Best Buy in Augusta on Sunday.
Hajir Talebzadeh, 41, has been charged with two counts of murder and one count of cruelty to children for the shooting, which took place during a custody exchange of the couple's 5-year-old son in the parking lot.
Police were called to the scene just after 6 p.m. and found Melissa Cui Domingo, Talbzadeh's 41-year-old ex-wife, and Elizabeth Cui Domingo, Domingo's 79-year-old mother, with gunshot wounds to the upper body. They were pronounced dead on the scene.
Talebzadeh was somehow injured and was taken to Wellstar MCG Health Medical Center. He was booked into the Richmond County Jail when he was released on Tuesday.
Less than three weeks before the fatal shooting, a judge dismissed assault charges against Melissa Cui Domingo for shooting Talebzadeh on December 31, 2021.
A judge found that she had endured years of vicious abuse after hearing testimony from witnesses — including family and police — about his controlling and abusive behavior and a doctor who diagnosed her with post-traumatic stress syndrome, Stockholm syndrome, battered person syndrome, and panic disorder.
"Based on the credible evidence presented, the Court finds that Melissa Domingo has met her burden of proving by a preponderance of the evidence that she reasonably believed the use of force was necessary to prevent death or great bodily harm to herself," the ruling says.
"The Court finds that the evidence established a pattern of psychological abuse, control, and threats by Hajir Talebzadeh toward Melissa Domingo," the court wrote. "The Court finds credible testimony regarding animal abuse, which speaks to the character and potential for violence of the Hajir Talebzadeh."
Domingo's divorce from her abusive husband was finalized last year, and despite the extensive testimony about Talebzadeh's abusive behavior, he still shared custody of the couple's son, although Domingo had primary custody.
