Here's the story. I left out a few paragraphs/lines to comply w/copyright laws. Regardless who's at fault, it's a horrible way to die.
One family planned a closed-casket funeral. The other helped plan the defense for a young man charged with premeditated murder.
Life was anything but normal for both families Thursday after a deadly face-off between an introverted, devout Muslim and a woman who authorities say wouldn't back down when she and her fiance confronted a hit-and-run driver.
Abdelaziz Hamze, a 24-year-old Dania Beach flea-market vendor, made his first court appearance in Broward Circuit Court Thursday morning. He heard the murder charge read against him and was ordered held without bond until trial. Relatives of Sandra Hall, a 44-year-old mother of two who was dragged to death Sunday night on State Road 7, called for justice as they prepared for her Saturday morning funeral.
"My pride and joy has been taken away from me," said Michael Williams, Hall's fiance. "She would feed anybody. She didn't have to know you. If you were hungry, she would feed you. She'd do anything to help you."
Williams said just before Hamze pulled off with his fiancee on the hood, he yelled, "Stop, please. Stop, let her go. You can go."
In the middle is Zacaria Abdine, Hamze's friend, business partner and the man who helped detectives catch him in New York before he could leave the country.
The trouble began about 10 p.m. Sunday when Hamze rear-ended Hall's newly purchased 1966 Cadillac near Riverland Road and State Road 7, authorities say. Williams said he and Hall watched as the white Dodge van sped away instead of stopping.
As he drove to catch the van, Hall called 911 to report the hit and run. The Broward Sheriff's Office confirmed the call but declined to discuss the details.
Hamze stopped at a traffic light in the 4100 block of State Road 7 in Lauderdale Lakes. Williams said he and Hall hopped out to confront him. Williams said he didn't argue or threaten Hamze, but Hamze's attorney, who doesn't deny his client ran Hall over, tells a different story.
"There were threats made to him," said Jeffrey Voluck, who met with Hamze for the first time Thursday. "As a result of the threats, he was in fear for his life."
Hall stood in front of the van. Williams said Hamze revved the engine and inched forward a few times. Hall wouldn't get out of the way.
Authorities say Hamze gunned the engine and Hall leapt onto the hood. Williams has said she leapt onto the van before Hamze drove away.
Hall eventually slipped underneath the van and was dragged 2.1 miles to North Lauderdale, the Sheriff's Office said. The van disappeared.
Detectives got a tip the next morning from Abdine, the man who sold Hamze the van. According to the arrest warrant, Hamze called Abdine after the crash to say he hit "something" with the van but didn't stop. The next morning, Abdine realized the media reports about Hall's death were related to Hamze's accident, Abdine's attorney said.
Abdine declined to comment on his role when reached by phone Thursday.
"I think what happened was he was scared," Abdine said of Hamze.
Abdine's attorney, Darryl Dungan, said that his client's actions were commendable.
"Mr. Zacaria is to be commended because when he woke up in the morning and saw the van on TV, he called 911," Dungan said. "I think he's an outstanding citizen."
Authorities caught up with Hamze as he boarded a plane in New York plane bound for Greece, possibly en route to his home country of Lebanon.
Detectives charged him with premeditated murder because "he made a conscious decision to accelerate his vehicle towards her, hitting her," said Keyla Concepcion, spokeswoman for the Broward Sheriff's Office. "At no time did he stop to let her get off. Then once she fell off the hood of the car, he continued and didn't try to stop to see if the woman was OK."
Voluck said that Hamze was "absolutely" innocent, his case winnable. He pointed to Florida's self-defense laws, which allow people to protect themselves if they feel they are in mortal danger.
"There's no question in my mind that he was not the aggressor in this case," he said. "I feel really good about the case."
The whole idea that people would use an automobile as a self-defense weapon is absurd," he said.
Galanter said that even if Hamze's life was threatened, the two-mile dragging would be difficult to defend.
"You've got a gruesome crime scene, you've got a driver who does not immediately stop and render assistance," he said. "Once she's down, his duty to render assistance comes back, the threat's over."
Fort Lauderdale attorney Patrick Rastatter said that juries can also view a defendant perceived to have fled from an incident as evidence of a guilty conscience.
"Guilty people flee, innocent people stay," Rastatter said. "If you're really scared for your life, you would have fled down the block to the 7-Eleven, not to Athens."
When asked why Hamze would try to leave for Greece, Voluck responded, "If you were a Muslim in this country, do you think you would have a little bit of fear about having a fair trial?"
He declined to say why Hamze didn't call police.
Williams and Hall's brother, Sylvester King, were fitted for suits Thursday that they will wear at Hall's funeral. King said Hamze "severed a lot of lives" and needs to be brought to justice.
Staff Researcher Barbara Hijek contributed to this report.
Brian Haas can be reached at
mailto:bhaas@sun-sentinel.com or 954-356-4597.
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