Conviction for Murder of Leyla Namiranian

In Virginia, USA, Michael Edwards has been found guilty of murdering former Altria insight executive Leyla Namiranian in 2012, and sentenced to 30 years. Namiranian's body has never been found but a jury decided he was guilty on the basis of police interviews, cellphone records and other evidence.

Namiranian (pictured), 41, lived in Chesterfield, Virginia and was Director of Marketing and Consumer Research for US tobacco giant Altria Client Services - formerly Philip Morris. Edwards, a former boyfriend, was charged with the murder last September, more than three years after her disappearance and despite the fact that her body was and is still missing.

A jury of six men and six women deliberated for several hours on Friday before finding Edwards guilty of second-degree murder. He had pleaded not guilty when the trial began on Monday. During the week the jury heard a three-and-a-half hour long interview the police conducted with Edwards, in which he claimed to have been nowhere near her house the night or morning of her disappearance - he later admitted that he had, but said he never saw her. They also reviewed unsealed search warrants showing that Namiranian was afraid of Edwards and had told friends he choked her. Police found blood in the trunk of Edwards' car, and seized duct tape, cleaner, Clorox and towels but blood and DNA tests on his car and the items showed no evidence to support the prosecution.

Namiranian's friend and co-worker Kimberly Pugh testified that Namiranian and Edwards had an on-off relationship ending two months before her disappearance, and said Namiranian had showed up at her house crying after Edwards choked her and said 'I'm going to get you when you least expect it'. Edwards met Namiranian while working for a furniture company, having made a delivery to her house around 2010.

Prosecutors believe Edwards killed Namiranian in a fit of jealousy. Peter Paoli, a retired Altria executive, had dinner with Namiranian at her house the evening before she disappeared and testified on Tuesday that he had a personal relationship with her. A text message from Edwards was read to the jury from earlier that week declaring 'Leyla... please don't see him again. I love you very, very much'. The message was retrieved from the phone in a reanalysis by Chesterfield police using a special software program to recover texts - all those sent to Namiranian had been deleted.

Edwards' attorney said the case was 'based on speculation', there being 'not a drop of blood, and there is no evidence that a homicide occurred in Chesterfield'. The defence will appeal the verdict.

Edwards has a previous conviction, for stabbing a woman and assaulting her daughter in 1990.

Thanks to local and other media www.wtvr.com , www.idahostatesman.com , www.richmond.com and www.wric.com for coverage of this case.

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.