Death sentence for California man who killed ex-girlfriend's father, sister in 2007 attack

Published May 03, 2016

A man convicted of killing the father and sister of his ex-girlfriend in a fiery attack on the family's Southern California home has been sentenced to death.

The Orange County district attorney's office says 30-year-old Iftekhar Murtaza was sentenced Tuesday in Santa Ana.

He was convicted for the murders of 56-year-old Jay Dhanak and his 20-year-old daughter Karishma in 2007.

Prosecutors say he killed the pair in a plot to reunite with his then-18-year-old ex-girlfriend Shayona Dhanak after she ended their relationship citing her Hindu family's opposition to her dating a Muslim.

Authorities say Murtaza and a friend burned the family's Anaheim Hills home and kidnapped and killed Dhanak's father and sister, leaving their bodies in a park.

A jury recommended Murtaza receive the death penalty.

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https://www.foxnews.com/us/death-sentence-for-california-man-who-killed-ex-girlfriends-father-sister-in-2007-attack