A Lebanon County jury Friday convicted a New York man of killing his 25-year-old daughter in Pennsylvania and dumping her body in Staten Island, Attorney General Dave Sunday said.
Kabary Salem, 57, a former Olympic boxer, faces a mandatory life sentence following a week-long trial in the death of Ola Salem. He will be sentenced Nov. 26.
The Attorney General’s office presented testimony that Salem beat and strangled his daughter in Palmyra before taking her body to a wooded area in Bloomingdale Park on Staten Island.
The woman’s body was discovered by passers-by around 9 a.m. Oct. 24, 2019.
An autopsy revealed Ola had injuries consistent with strangulation and blunt force trauma to the head. She also had minor blunt force trauma to her torso area and minor contusions to her arm, leg and hand, court documents said.
“The facts in this case show the defendant did the unthinkable — he murdered his own daughter, then tried to get away with it by disposing of her body. I cannot fathom a series of criminal acts more despicable, senseless, and purely evil,” Sunday said.
A law enforcement source told a New York TV station that Salem did not approve of his daughter’s boyfriend.
“We believe the father found out she was still dating the boyfriend and not complying with the Muslim religion,” the source said.
Days before Salem was set to face trial in New York City for the homicide, an expert witness determined the victim was killed in Pennsylvania.
This finding caused the New York case to be dropped and picked up by prosecutors in Lebanon County. Cell phone records and marks on Ola’s body supported the conclusion that the killing took place in Pennsylvania.
After the killing, Salem left the country for Kuwait. He was later arrested and extradited to the U.S. in December 2020. He has remained in custody since, first in New York City and then in Lebanon County.
An affidavit filed against Salem said the man drove his daughter from New York to Pennsylvania to paint a Palmyra restaurant that he co-owned.
During the homicide investigation, police said Salem rented a Toyota Camry in New Jersey that was equipped with a GPS tracking system. The GPS system showed the vehicle was at Salem’s restaurant and a hotel on Oct. 23, 2019.
The tracking system later showed the vehicle stopping at a Lowe’s, where surveillance footage showed Salem purchasing a shovel alone. A similar shovel was discovered near Ola’s body.
The car then returned to the hotel around 10:45 p.m., where video footage showed Salem alone in the vehicle. The Camry left the Palmyra area around 2:20 a.m. Oct. 24 and entered Staten Island around 4:30 a.m.
The affidavit also showed the Camry traveled to the precise location in Bloomingdale Park where the victim’s body was found later that morning.
During the victim’s autopsy, fingernail scrapings were collected for DNA. Investigators matched the fingernail scrapings to DNA from a cup Salem used during a police interview.
Salem was a boxer who represented Egypt in the 1992 and 1996 Olympic games.
25814 Salem Ford Burns Boxer (Sovereign Bank Arena Boxing Preview) Mark “The Truth” Ford(L) of Trenton, Kabary Salem(C) of Brooklyn NY, and Dennis Burns(R) of Langhorne PA, Thursday 4/3/03, at Trenton Professional Boxing Club, are preparing for upcoming fight at Sovereing Bank Arena. Mike Nixon/Staff The Times of TrentonThe Times of Trenton
Ola was an advocate for women subject to domestic violence, serving as a volunteer at the Asiyah Women’s Center, according to SILive.
Following her death, she was described by friends as a “headstrong” and “emotionally intelligent” woman.
“She could look at someone and know exactly what they’re feeling and know exactly what to say to make that person smile,” said Dania Darwish, the co-founder and executive director of the Muslim women and family’s shelter.
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