Family of Four Discovered Murdered

Police on Friday, January 14th, found the murdered bodies of an entire family in their home in Jersey City, New Jersey.

Hossam Armanious, his wife Amal and their two daughters, Sylvia and Monica had been tied up and stabbed multiple times.  There did not appear to be any evidence of forced entry into the home.  Police found Hossam's pockets turned inside out and his wallet emptied.  But there was jewelry left in the home, and Hossam was not known to have a lot of money.  Robbery is being considered as a motive, but the degree of violence seems extreme, and why this family would be targeted is unknown.

Police were brought to the Armanious house by Hossam's brother in law, Ayman Garas.  The family had not heard from any of the family members since Tuesday the 11th, and both Hossam and Amal had both missed work since then.  Police hypothesize that the family was murdered sometime late Tuesday.

Was Religion a Motive for Murder?

A short time into the murder investigation, police discovered a second possible motive for the murders. It seems that Hossam was a devout Christian, a member of an Orthodox sect from Egypt called Coptic Christians. He had brought his family to the United States 6 years ago, and was part of a large Egyptian Christian community in Jersey City. Hossam reportedly often espoused his faith in chat rooms on the internet. In the days before the murders he had been conversing in a chat room hosted by Pal Talk, which he often visited. Friends and family say that Hossam attempted to convert people to Christianity on-line, which angered some Muslims. Reportedly, Hossam's life was threatened, but he did not take it seriously. There is no evidence that these web chats or the family's Christianity contributed to their deaths, but police cannot and have not dismissed this possiblity.

Tensions Run High at Funeral

Hossam, Amal, Sylvia and Monica were all laid to rest on the Monday after their death.  The funerals were attended by hundreds in the community, including some of Hossam's Muslim neighbors.  During the ceremonies, tensions flared, and grieving members of the coptic community loudly voiced their disapproval of the Muslim community, accusing them of being responsible for the family's death.  SHouts were exchanged between members of the community.  Police were called in to quiet the crowd.  Despite the raised tensions, no violence was reported.

Since then, Hossam's family and the religious leaders have called for patience and calm.  They are cautious to assign blame and are awaiting results of the police investigation.  But they are praying that someone with information will come forward to explain what happened to this family.

Two Arrested In Murder Of N.J. Family

According to officials, two people, Edward McDonald and Hamilton Sanchez, have been arrested in the murder of the Armanious family, an Egyptian Coptic Christian Family found murdered in January. Police say Edward McDonald rented a second-floor apartment above Hossam Armanious and his family. McDonald and Sanchez both pleaded not guilty to four counts of murder. Both men were ordered held on $10 million bail.

After the brutal murders, police began looking at the financial records of Hossam Armanious and found that $3000 had been withdrawn from an ATM. Then, cops say surveillance from the ATM showed a suspect in a car - that car was eventually traced back to Edward McDonald's mother. After interviewing McDonald, police had enough evidence to charge him and Hamilton Sanchez with murder. Both are now in custody in Jersey City.