I originally posted about the murder of 43-year-old Altaf Malik here. In 2017 Mr. Malik left his home in Richmond, Texas to meet with someone who showed interest in buying his car off of craigslist. Tragically, Mr. Malik was stabbed 60 times and his body was found four days later in Houston.
In February 2018, police arrested then 20-year-old Terrell Funches and an unnamed 15-year-old girl and charged them with Mr. Malik’s murder. The girl was charged as an adult and was identified as Delana Nguyen. Last Wednesday. Nguyen pleaded guilty to Mr. Malik’s murder. She is believed to have stabbed Mr. Malik at least 13 times. She was sentenced to 40-years behind bars.
Funches is expected to go to trial in July.
In a perfect world, we could use sites like craigslist without worrying about our mortal safety. Unfortunately, this world is far from perfect and there are those who are willing to take someone’s life just to get a few bucks.
If you insist on using sites or apps like craigslist, you’d do yourself a favor if you arranged to meet the other party of the transaction at a local police station. While it’s not a 100% guarantee you’ll be safe, it does go a long way in discouraging criminals from coming to the meeting.
