On Wednesday, Jefferson Parish Judge Lee Faulkner sentenced Saleh "Sam" Omar to 40 years in prison after his April 24 conviction for manslaughter. The case involved the death of Mohamed "Mo" Mezlini, who was suffocated when Omar wrapped duct tape around his face and torso. Omar was originally indicted for second-degree murder, but the jury found him guilty of the lesser charge of manslaughter, according to the Jefferson Parish District Attorney.
Yazan Omar’s half-brother, Omar, was found guilty in connection with the 2018 death of former employee Mezlini. The incident happened on September 8 in a vacant suite of a Terry Parkway strip mall, where Omar ran a cell phone repair business. Mezlini was lured there and later found dead, with the Coroner’s Office reporting the cause of death as asphyxia from strangulation and smothering. Seventeen minutes after the incident, Yazan Omar and two others found Mezlini’s body, attempted CPR, and called 911. Omar fled to Panama and was arrested two weeks later before being returned to Jefferson Parish. Yazan Omar was sentenced to 15 years in 2021 for false imprisonment with a dangerous weapon and obstruction of justice. During sentencing, Judge Faulkner said, “I believe the defendant got a windfall from the jury,” referring to the reduced conviction compared to a possible life sentence, as reported by the Jefferson Parish District Attorney.
During sentencing, Omar's defense presented character witnesses and asked for leniency. However, more than two dozen victim-impact statements called for the maximum penalty. Mezlini's widow said, "He had his whole life ahead of him" and described the act as one that "demonstrates a level of violence and depravity beyond comprehension." Mezlini’s parents said he was "the epitome of good character and ethics," and his father stated, "My son did nothing to deserve what happened to him," as mentioned by the Jefferson Parish District Attorney.
