A 45-year-old Vallejo man is suspected of fatally shooting his his wife and then fleeing to Pennsylvania, where he was taken into custody, police said Thursday.
The victim, whose name wasn’t released, was reported missing on Tuesday by a friend who was concerned and said that she hadn’t shown up for work.
“The friend also informed officers that the missing person had recently gone to a mutual friend’s residence after her husband had threatened to kill her,” Vallejo police said in a news release.
Officers conducted a welfare check at the missing woman’s apartment complex, in the 1000 block of Oakwood Avenue, but received no answer at the door.
None of the neighbors reported any disturbances coming from the apartment, and an automated license plate reader showed the missing woman’s car was last seen in West Vallejo. Officers tried to call both the woman and her husband, but there was no response.
The woman’s body was discovered about 5:30 p.m. Wednesday inside the apartment, when a maintenance worker entered the unit. He called 911, and authorities determined the woman had died, suffering from at least one gunshot wound.
Zheer Queja Malassab, the victim’s husband, was identified as a suspect and a search for his vehicle showed it was in Pennsylvania.
The Pennsylvania State Police located Malassab’s car and tried to pull him over, but he refused and led them on a chase.
Snowy road conditions eventually forced him to stop and surrender. He was taken into custody, and after being Mirandized, allegedly admitted to shooting his wife, police said.
The suspect is currently waiting to be extradited to California, where he will booked into the Solano County Jail on suspicion of homicide.
The death is Vallejo 17th homicide this year.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact Detective Stephanie Diaz at (707) 648-5430 or via email at Stephanie.Diaz@cityofvallejo.net, or Detective Zach Horton at (707) 648-5425 or Zach.Horton@cityofvallejo.net. Tips may remain anonymous by calling the the tip line at 1-800-488-9383.
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