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Aliya Fakhri, who was arrested for allegedly killing her ex-boyfriend and his friend, was a "good person", her friends said as they expressed disbelief over the brutal crime. According to them, the alleged murder committed by Aliya was a crime of "jealousy".
Sade Jean-Baptiste and Jewels Boatwright (name changed) told News Agency that Aliya, who they call 'Athena' (as per her stage name) used to work as a stripper.
"She was a good person...passionate. But she lost it that night. This feels like a crime of jealousy," they said, adding that they still "love her".
Aliya Fakhri was arrested on Tuesday for allegedly setting a two-storey garage on fire in Queens, New York, when her former boyfriend Edward Jacobs (35), and his friend, Anastasia Ettienne (33), were asleep.
According to the Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz, Aliya Fakhri arrived at the garage early morning on November 2 and yelled "you are all going to die today" at Jacobs, who lived upstairs. A witness came out hearing her voice and found that the building had been set on fire. Ettienne, who was alerted of the fire, went back upstairs to save Jacobs. But neither of them made it out of the burning building as they died from smoke inhalation and thermal injuries, officials said.
According to Aliya's friends, her former boyfriend, Jacobs, used to live in the garage and worked as a plumber.
Jacobs and Aliya were a part of the same friends' group, they told News Agency, adding that the two were seeing each other "on and off" but it was a "turbulent" relationship.
The victims, Jacobs and Ettienne lived in the same rented house in Queens, along with Jewels and several other people. At the time of the incident, all the other people had managed to escape.
Presently, the New York police are not allowing Jewels to live in the house as it is a crime scene, he said.
Aliya's friends told News Agency that she spoke "affectionately" about her elder sister and rockstar-fame actor Nargis Fakhri.
However, sources have claimed that Nargis has not been in touch with Aliya for more than 20 years.
News Agency also reached out to Nargis and Aliya's mother Marie Fakhri in Queens but found her apartment locked. According to her neighbour, he saw Marie two days ago. He also called her but she declined to speak.
"I saw her last two days ago...She is a very friendly, beautiful woman," the neighbour said.
Marie has reportedly denied charges against her daughter saying, "I don't think she would be killing someone. She was a person who was caring for everybody. She tried to help everybody."
Aliya, who has been charged with four counts of murder in the first degree, four counts of murder in the second degree, and accused of arson by a grand jury, is scheduled to appear before a court on December 9. If convicted of a top charge, she can face a maximum of life in prison, the Queens District Attorney said.
(With inputs from Natasha Israni)